Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure: Highway to Heaven
by Kurt The Mortician
Summary: The Arc bloodline bears a curious curse, forcing the firstborn sons to lead interesting lives. Jaune Arc, while the eighth child in his family is still the first son born to them, and so he bears the curse. This curse however will lead him down a path he had dreamed of, a life of adventure and freedom, but not the path to becoming a hero. The path to HEAVEN.
1. Chapter 1

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

* * *

Jaune Arc was a loser, a geek, a nobody. But that all changed one day when he discovered he had a strange and unusual ability. The Stand. A ghostly figure named after its role, "standing" by its user and granting them fabulous and strange abilities. The advent of Jaune's stand to many seemed like an accident, but to Jaune it was the beginning of a journey to become the hero he had always dreamed of being. A journey to attain _Heaven_.

* * *

Jaune Arc began that fateful day just like any other. He woke from bed, ate breakfast with his parents and seven sisters, and promptly left once the age old battle for the last plate of french toast began. Jaune had long since learned that his seven older sisters were unstoppable when presented with such a prize, and his mother and father would struggle in vain to halt end the epic battle that ensued each morning.

* * *

Jaune chuckled to himself, as he strolled through the streets of his hometown. It was somewhere between the bustling metropolis of Vale, and the rural island of Patch. Small houses and cottages gave way to tall buildings and shops as he walked, his black hood raised and blue jeans wrinkled. Jaune's beaten up Chuck Taylor's plodding against the ground with their familiar sound. He pondered whether or not to hit the arcade, or go to the ice cream parlor off Third and Main, only to have these thoughts interrupted as he bumped into someone and fell flat on his back.

Jaune winced and cracked an eye open as he raised a hand and nervously greeted, "Hey, sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and-"

He was promptly silenced as the much taller and more imposing boy glared at him and barked, "Watch where the hell you're going runt!"

Jaune winced once more at the boy's words as he stood and backed up, attempting to calm the agitated boy down, "Again, I'm really sorry, I'll just leave-"

Jaune was interrupted as the boy's fist connected with his face, sending him sprawling. After recovering from the blow he looked up and noticed just what the boy was wearing. An obviously expensive tailored suit, although disheveled and boasting a large stain from what appeared to be coffee. "Sorry isn't going to clean my suit. And you definitely can't afford to fix it dressed like you are."

Jaune pushed himself to his feet, it was a little uncalled for, but he wasn't exactly equipped to beat a guy this size when he couldn't even beat his twin Jean in a fight. He frantically searched around for an escape route, or for someone who might intervene. Everyone walking by seemed determined to either watch, or not be involved at any level. The boy was cracking his knuckles and approaching, Jaune closed his eyes and rushed forward, blindly throwing what he hoped was a decent punch.

The scraggly blonde was surprised to see the stained suit clad boy sprawled across the ground upon opening his eyes. The older boy appeared to be bleeding, and for a brief moment as Jaune glanced at his fist, a ghostly pale fist floated above his own before disappearing. Jaune glanced from his hand to the boy's now misshapen jaw as the people around him snapped pictures, a few on their phones calling for a doctor. Jaune looked around and scratched the back of his head as he sighed and pulled out his phone. "What a pain."

His parents were going to kill him.

* * *

Julius Arc was unsure of what to do. He was seated at the head of the dinner table of his small home with his wife and six of his seven daughters facing his son. Jaune had apparently broken a young man's jaw after bumping into him and engaging in the world's shortest street fight. He sighed as he looked at each of his daughters.

The eldest daughter Joanne was seated next to his wife, Susan, with the second eldest, Josephine who was fiddling with her cell phone. Joanne seemed to be occupied consoling his wife, who couldn't seem to stop crying about her baby boy being assaulted on the street. Josephine was absolutely no help in this endeavor. The third daughter, Joy, sat with her chair turned around backwards, half asleep as she draped her arms over it, half lidded eyes staring at Jaune. His fourth daughter, Juno, was busy brushing her hair using a compact mirror, the girl's face constantly changed expressions as she did so. His fifth daughter Giovanna stared at her brother, her gaze soft but focused, as if trying to discern what had happened with sight alone. Jolyne on the other hand was grinning and asking her younger brother how the fight had gone, his sixth daughter had always been a troublemaker like Joy before her. Finally, his seventh daughter and Jaune's twin Jean was seated next to him, attempting to act as moral support for her twin. Said twin apparently found his feet to be the most interesting objects in the world, as his eyes had not wavered from them since they had picked him up from the street corner.

Julius folded his hands in front of his face and asked one simple question, "Did you throw the first punch?"

Jaune shook his head in response, and continued to stare at his plate. He heard the sound of his father's chair dragging across the floor as the man rose from it. Jaune screwed his eyes shut and prepared for the tirade his father had shouted at Joy and Jolyne before him as he listened to the man's footsteps. Only to look up in surprise after his father's hand gently ruffled his hair.

The bearded blond man gave his son a wry smile as he said, "Just don't go looking for a chance for a repeat performance slugger."

"No problem!" His son eagerly replied as his father exited the room, ignoring the indignant shouts of Joy and Jolyne about favoritism. Julius chuckled calmly as he sat in the living room, leaving his wife to deal with the chaos of the seven sisters pouncing on their brother at once with a barrage of questions, comments and concerns.

* * *

Jaune lay alone in his room desperately trying to recall the events of earlier. He had managed to escape the clutches of his siblings and find solace in his room thanks to Jean's interference. Normally, he would go to her to talk about the ghostly hand he saw, but she was otherwise occupied keeping his other siblings at bay. The scrawny blonde teenager rolled onto his side and stared at the blank wall on his side of the room. His otherwise sparse decorations laying on his nightstand and closet door in comparison to his twin who had elected to place as many decorations as possible on her side.

Jaune sighed as he looked at his hand again. The ghostly hand he had seen, it was almost like there was another person standing with him. Jaune closed his eyes and tried to picture the arm once again. Pale white. Well defined muscle. Jaune struggled to recall any other details as he stared at his open hand above his face, arm stretched toward the ceiling. He sighed in annoyance as he closed his eyes and fist, "Man, what a pain."

Upon opening his eyes he saw the same ghostly hand outstretched next to his own, as well as a long arm trailing down to his own shoulder, where a yellow clad figure lay next to him half defined. Jaune rolled off of his bed in surprise and frantically searched only to see that the figure had disappeared before he could get a clear look at it. He definitely wasn't imagining this though. Jaune rolled over his bed, landing on the rug in between his bed and his sister's bed before pacing on the coiled piece of decoration. Jaune's mind raced. He had concentrated, closed his fist, and there it was.

Jaune had seen little of the figure it had produced. Although he had a new color to remember it by, yellow. Jaune had always liked yellow. That much was obvious by the boy's collection of yellow and orange t-shirts. Jaune tried to walk himself through the steps again. Close eyes? Check. Outstretched arm? Check. Close fist? Check. Open eyes? Che- once again the the ghostly arm was mirroring his position. Jaune took a shaky breath and said, "O-okay. Show yourself."

The figure obliged him, floating around the boy before coming to a stop in front of him. Jaune's jaw dropped, his arm hanging limply by his side as he stared. The figure floated a foot of the ground, it's legs slightly bent with the right leg in front of the left. It's arms were crossed and it stared at the boy.

The figure was thin, like him, but well muscled, clad in a yellow robe, with what appeared to be twin crescent moons in white on its chest, the white of its limbs bearing a series of interlocking circles with grey, like chainmail. It's head was a smooth white, with barely perceptible features barring it's glowing yellow eyes visible, a set of wings were attached to its ankles. It reminded Jaune of the images of a crusader in a painting he saw as a child.

Jaune closed his mouth and stared back at the figure. Before turning and reaching for his phone. The figure sped around of him, and grasped the object, prompting a surprised gasp from Jaune. The figure held the phone in front of him, Jaune hesitantly reached out and grasped the phone. The figure crossing it's arms once more. Jaune fumbled with the device, and eventually sat down and placed the phone next to him, opting to play music rather than search for advice on hallucinations and surprisingly helpful floating men.

The mouthless crusader stared at Jaune, and the boy sighed. He decided that if the hallucinations were this bad, he might as well try and learn as much as he could. "Did you punch that guy earlier?"

The figure nodded, it's eyes betraying nothing. Jaune sighed once more. Great. It couldn't talk. "Do you have a name?"

The crusader shook it's head, and Jaune nodded in response. "Why did you hit him?"

The crusader then pointed to Jaune, and then to himself. Jaune had no clue what to make of this gesture. The figure seemed to have some will of its own, but also tried to help him. Wait. The figure had reached for his phone when Jaune wanted it. It had punched the boy when Jaune had tried to punch him. Jaune's eyes widened in realization as he asked, "You're helping me."

The crusader nodded once again. Jaune smiled as he gave a small fist pump of victory, which the figure observed and then tried to mimic. Jaune laughed at the attempt before speaking, "Well, I'm Jaune."

The crusader hastily nodded as though confirming it knew this already. It then knelt before him, before rising again. Jaune cocked his head to the side and then asked, "Wait. Do you serve me?"

The crusader hesitantly nodded. Jaune pinched his nose in confusion before plopping onto his bed as his phone changed songs. Jaune bobbed his head as he relaxed once more the crusader floating around him. Jaune hummed along to the melody, noting that the figure appeared to be moving in time with the music. Jaune chuckled and asked, "Do you like this song?"

The crusader gave him a quizzical look, but did nots stop. Jaune chuckled once again, "It's called How Far is Heaven." The crusader nodded once more, as if appeased by this. Jaune then asked, "How about that for your name?"

The crusader shrugged in response. Jaune chuckled in response. "Alright I can deal with that. Now...what are you?"

Jaune looked around his room and noticed his guitar, resting on its stand. He then recalled how it felt like this thing was standing next to him earlier. Standing. Stand. A stand. The term popped into his mind, and as if knowing his thoughts the crusader nodded. Jaune asked, "A stand?"

It nodded. And thus began Jaune's life as a stand user.

* * *

 **So yeah. This happened. I chalk it up to being a closet JoJo's fan and not really finding an outlet for it. I'm going to write Jaune a little differently in this, as I feel like Cannon Jaune isn't a good fit for this narrative. This is an AU, and it is based on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, so expect modern day society, but with people in strange clothes posing while things explode around them. I will be peppering this story with little references to RWBY and JoJo's so expect for there to be some familiar faces and some things that you wouldn't see in RWBY. Finally shipping. It may or may not happen.**


	2. Chapter 2

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Jolyne Arc had to admit, she was skeptical when her younger brother had come to her for advice on fighting. The girl was physically imposing, well muscled and a full head taller than the boy in her heeled boots and spiderweb themed attire. Her blonde hair had been dyed black, with the exception of her bangs and plaited braid that wrapped around the twin hair buns she sported. Jolyne's turquoise eyes had initially hardened as she refused him, only to be surprised as her brothers sky blue eyes hardened into sapphires as he asked again.

She didn't have a whole lot to teach, how to make a proper fist, how to throw a good punch, how to land a solid kick, nothing but the basics. Jolyne was impressed though. Her kid brother had guts. He was still a total dork. But he had guts. And so she continued to practice with him. "Keep it up."

Jaune nodded as he continued to punch the bag she had set up in her room, hoodie tied around his waist, orange t-shirt wet with sweat, his jeans rolled up to allow his sneaker clad feet greater ease of movement. Joy had assisted in teaching him, the perpetually drowsy brown haired girl offering the occasional criticism on his posture. The two had shared a room for years, and the wear and tear they inflicted was clearly visible. Missing patches of paints, scuff marks on the baseboards, and the well worn punching bag in the corner were easily the most noticeable factors. Clothes littered the floor, and various rock band posters were scattered around the walls. Their beds lacked any sort of frame, and appeared to be mattresses on the floor covered in blankets.

Jaune continued his assault on the bags, attempting to follow the instructions being provided by the two, out of the corner of his eye, he could see his stand watching. Far Heaven seemed to be invisible to anyone who wasn't Jaune, and while this initially came as a relief to the boy, he was still confused on who to talk to. He had only had the stand for a month, and beyond using it to move things he still had no idea what to do with it. Jaune shook off these thoughts, train for now, worry about the floating yellow and white man later.

* * *

Joanne and Josephine Arc were unsure of what to do about their younger brother. Jaune had changed quite a bit in the past two months, and the two were unsure of what to do about it. He seemed to be slightly more confident, although he still shied away from large social gatherings. The eldest daughters of the Arc family were clad in their usual attire, jeans, vests, dress shirts, and bowler hats. The two worked at the local Speedwagon Bakery as delivery girls, but had managed to utilize this to watch their younger brother around town.

Lately he seemed to bounce between Zeppeli's Alternative Living, and his usual hangout at the local arcade. The latter was nothing to note, after all Jaune had been an avid gamer for most of his life and eschewed the social occasions they had clamored for at his age. The former was a cause for concern. The shop's proprietor was one Will A. Zeppeli, and sold old books and herbal remedies, which were hardly out of the ordinary, Jaune's interest however was. Their brother had never been religious, or particularly interested the types of items the shop prided itself on. Yet he had been making a trip there every week without fail, renting book after book and returning them with disturbing frequency over the past six months. Josephine had written it off as a phase, but Josephine had yet to be convinced.

Still, it wasn't as though the behavior was unhealthy. Jaune had been doing better in school, and his little fighting lessons with Jolyne and Joy were keeping him in shape. Jaune had been trying to keep them a secret, but Jolyne hadn't. Josephine merely sighed as she turned to her absent minded sibling, who was sitting upside down in her chair and taking pictures with her phone. The two of them would keep watching and waiting, after all, there was no point in getting involved if nothing bad was happening.

* * *

Juno Arc stood next to her brother in the single bathroom the eight Arc siblings were forced to share. The black haired girl was currently styling her hair into its latest masterful design, comprised of a contrast of straightened portions and elegant ringlets. Jaune on the other hand had simply shaken his hair loose upon drying it and had begun brushing his teeth. The two had little in common, with Juno spending most of her time obsessing over her hair and clothes, while Jaune had been wearing the same outfit since he was seven, albeit in different sizes and colors over the years.

Juno pursed her lips as she finished the final curl, and began examining her hair from all angles. "Hey, Jaune, does my hair look okay?"

Jaune froze in place, his sister's hair was quite possibly the most dangerous topic of discussion in the family. Juno had a penchant for bizarre, and elaborate hairstyles, and was notoriously bad at handling criticism. At the ripe age of seven she had broken a classmate's nose for their comment that having three pigtails was weird. Jaune merely spat out his toothpaste and rinsed out his mouth, taking a deep breath before replying. "It looks great. Really...exotic."

Juno halted her posing, her eyes hidden by her bangs, mouth in a firm line. Jaune began to quake in place, his mind racing with regrets, Juno was going to kill him. She was going to strangle him and make a comb from his ribs, she was going to stuff him inside a vending machine, she was going to use his skull as a jewelry box, she was going to stuff him inside a vending machine! Just like that time when he told her that her beehive look was funny when he was six! He was a dead man walking-

"Really!?" The girl replied excitedly, performing an elaborate pose, before halting. "Beautiful, cool, elegant, and dangerous."

Jaune let out a sigh of relief and laughed, "Jeez, you're such a dork sometimes."

His older sister merely scoffed before exiting, ruffling the boy's hair, "What do you know about style anyway?"

Jaune snorted and checked the mirror, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. "Chicks dig the messy look. Right?"

Far Heaven merely shrugged in response as it gazed into the mirror.

* * *

"You made it into Beacon University!?" Jean half yelled and half whispered at her twin brother as they sat across from each other on the rug of their shared room.

Jaune gestured for her to remain quiet but nodded. "Yes. I did. Now please keep it down."

The equally scraggly blonde girl gave her brother an incredulous look, her white hoodie and blue t-shirt nicely contrasting his black hoodie and orange t-shirt. Jean's considerably longer blonde hair was pulled neatly into a ponytail over her left shoulder. The pair's matching blue eyes attempted to silently communicate with one another, only for something to be lost in translation. Jean sighed as she looked at her brother. "You did this to go to Vale, and you're not going to tell me why."

Jaune laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head, his twin pinched the bridge of her nose and her eyes closed as she gave an exasperated groan. "Jaune, this is college, it's a big decision. I get wanting to leave, but can you at least tell me why?"

Jaune gave his sister a sad smile, as he gazed into her eyes. "Jean, please, you know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't important. I found a weird book at Zeppeli's shop, and our name was in it. It had all this stuff about the Arc's, a stone mask, and an arrow."

Jean gave her brother a deadpan stare. "Really. An arrow and a stone mask. That's why you have to go to Vale for college."

Jaune gave an exasperated sigh, "Jean, please."

It was with those two words that Jean felt her annoyance crumble. Her twin brother, for all his faults never lied to her. If weird writings in a book at an occult shop had driven him to pick one of the most respected colleges in Vale, he wouldn't lie about it. Besides, his lies were never anywhere near this girl was still annoyed however, and ready to express this, "There's something else you're not telling me, but fine. Have you at least heard about the stuff in the book anywhere else?"

Jaune nodded eagerly before replying, "Yes! Our great grandfather's journal, Joseph Arc. I found it in the attic, and it mentions all of the things that were in the book Mr. Zeppeli loaned me."

Jean's eyebrows were raised at the answer, caught completely off guard, and was about to ask for the journal when Jaune handed it to her. She flipped to the page he had marked and read the entry, and sure enough there was talk of a stone mask entrusted to a man referred to only as "the wizard" Jean stared at Jaune after reading the final words on the page. _My wife has given birth to a son, and I can only hope that the curse of the Arc bloodline makes his fate easier than mine._

"What's the curse?" Jean asked, more or less engrossed in the conspiracy her brother had stumbled into.

Jaune shook his head in response as he replied, "I don't know. The book never explains it beyond, being cursed to live an interesting life."

Jean let out a snort as she commented, "Doesn't sound like much of a curse to me."

"Well, this wizard apparently lived in Vale and taught at Beacon," Jaune commented pausing to look at the journal as his sister passed it to him, "This wizard or someone related to him might still be at the college, even if it's just someone who knows about the mask would be able to explain some of this. There's something going on here, I asked dad and he said it was all nonsense, but he was so insistent that I can't help but feel he's hiding something, you know?"

Jean placed a finger on his lips and then wrapped her arms around her twin, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Jaune. Relax. Go."

Jaune nodded dumbly before replying, "Yes, thanks and please-"

"I won't say anything. You tell them you got into Beacon, mom'll be too busy crying about her baby boy leaving the nest and excited about your choice in school to ask any questions, and Dad'll just be happy you got into college to ask." Jean interrupted maintaining her grip on him. "I'll miss you." She added sadly.

Jaune laughed as he returned the gesture, "I still have half of a semester of school Jean, and even then there's still summer vacation. It'll be a while before I leave."

Jean pulled away from him and smirked at him. "Way to kill the mood bro."

Jaune dusted himself off as he rose the sleeves of his hoodie rolled up revealing his long orange sleeved shirt, as he bent a leg and gave a mock V for victory sign, "It's my specialty!"

The girl laughed as she rose and flopped onto her bed, "I'm sure the ladies at Beacon will be thrilled to hear that."

Jaune stuck his tongue out as he laced his hands behind his head and exited the room, "You suck."

The door appeared to shut behind Jaune as he exited, and Jean merely chalked it up to an open window, and her brother speaking to himself as him just being weird. Outside of the room, Jaune looked at his stand expectantly, after his remark, "Some people eh?"

Far Heaven merely rolled it's eyes with its arms crossed as it followed Jaune through the house.

* * *

Giovanna Arc was often seen as the strangest of the eclectic Arc family. The girl bore the same blonde hair as her two younger siblings unlike the rest of her sisters, and often held a serious determined blue eyes matched the twin siblings. Her blond hair was often kept short yet pleated into a small braid that went well with the blue pant suit she wore. The girl had started her own budding business in town that was preparing to open a second location, and despite it's humble beginnings, she took it as seriously as any major conglomerate. She was currently out getting ice cream with her younger sibling, who had started asking her for advice on budgeting after announcing his plans for college.

Giovanna had opted for chocolate ice cream, while her younger sibling had gotten strawberry. "Remember, the hardest part of budgeting is sticking to it, but as long as you do so you never have to worry about money."

Jaune hummed in affirmation as he ate another spoonful, before repeating what she had told him earlier, "Never go over budget, if you run low on cash, figure out what expenses to cut back on."

The normally stern girl gave the boy a smile as she nodded, "Excellent."

Jaune grinned at the praise and continued to eat, only to be surprised when the stern girl placed her ice cream down and gave him a small hug. "Now make sure you're careful in Vale. It's a big city."

Jaune was initially shocked, Giovanna normally hated extended physical contact, but he could hear in the softness of her voice a strong note of worry. He nodded, and looked over at the girl as he replied, "I will sis. I promise."

Giovanna nodded as she removed her arms and resumed eating her ice cream as the two stared at the passing cars heading down the street. Although, in the middle of the day, there was little to no traffic of note in their hometown. As they finished their ice cream and disposed of the cups and spoons, Giovanna called out to her brother. "Wait, I got something for you."

Jaune halted and looked to the girl in confusion, as he walked back from the trashcan on the corner to her. "Really?"

His elder sister nodded as she pulled out a box from her pocket and threw it to him. Jaune briefly examined the box, before realizing what the box contained. "Make sure you use those at college. You don't know where those girls have been."

Jaune's face went red with embarrassment as he shoved the box into the pocket of his hoodie. The boy then pulled his hood on and muttered thanks as he gave his sister an annoyed look. She responded with a straight faced thumbs up, which Far Heaven mimicked.

* * *

"And make sure you brush your teeth!" Susan Q. Arc said as she wiped another tear from her eye, still grasping her son with her free arm.

"Yes ma'am." Jaune replied with mild impatience as she stood in her grasp, watching as other passengers boarded the plane.

"And don't forget to floss." She added still clutching her son as though it would be the last moment he would be within her grasp. However, her husband finally saw fit to release Jaune from his mother's arms. "Honey, he's going to miss his flight."

She sniffled and nodded as she release Jaune allowing a moment to gather his backpack and carry-on bag as he faced his family. Jaune nodded as he looked to the plane and then back to his sisters and parents. "I'll call when I land in Vale."

"You better." Joanne said sternly, his mother nodding in agreement.

Jaune then gave a wave as he walked to the counter and presented his ticket, listening to the goodbyes of his family as they exited the terminal. The boy nodded at the gate attendant before continuing his walk onto the airplane, Far Heaven floating around him as he did so. As he tucked his bag into the overhead bin, and stashed his backpack under the seat in front of him. Jaune merely nodded at his stand before it disappeared. Jaune had discovered that contrary to his original theory, his stand did not make his motion sickness better, in fact having it out made things worse.

The boy groaned as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, tucking a small set of earbuds in. As the sounds of jazz filled his ears he awaited take off, eager to arrive in Vale and commence his search for "The Wizard".

* * *

 **Okay, first order of business. Housekeeping. Booyakasha, Big ups to** **Mumei, 8-bit pirate, Echos 2 and 3, and kamen rider noize for their reviews. Major thanks to 8-bit pirate for the shortened name of Jaune's stand. Props also to everyone who favorited and followed. Now, Next chapter will mark the beginning of Beacon, and will include some flashbacks regarding Jaune's time at Zeppeli's shop and time spent reading his great grandfather's journal. Now, in this story, I will endeavor to keep each RWBY Stand User's stand unique, and I will state this now, not every rwby character will be a stand user. Some will use the ripple, or hamon. Feel free to ask questions in reviews, although I cannot promise that I will give you the answer you want.**


	3. Chapter 3

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Jaune Arc stumbled off the gangway and into Vale's Airport, his backpack hanging by a single strap, and his bag being dragged behind him haphazardly. Being a stand user may have made his motion sickness worse. The journal had never mentioned this, then again, all its information on stands was theoretical, it only ever explained the stand's precursor, a technique called The Ripple. However, as interesting as it sounded it wasn't much help in learning what to do with Far Heaven.

Jaune continued to make his way toward baggage claim, and pulled out his phone as he plodded through the airport. The lanky blonde thumbed through his playlists before finally making a selection as he walked. Eyes half closed as his head bobbed, Jaune could feel his motion sickness finally subsiding, "I'm on the highway to hell. Bada."

His impromptu karaoke session was interrupted as he heard a small feminine yelp after something collided with him. Jaune stopped in his tracks and he looked down to see a girl clad in a white and blue dress, with alarmingly white hair pulled into an off center ponytail. A small scar was next to her blue eyes, and she wore a simple white jacket and fine silver jewelry. Jaune shrugged and offered a hand, "Sorry bout that."

The girl's eyes widened as she indignantly shouted, "Sorry!? Do you have any idea who I am!?"

Jaune's eyebrows instantly raised as he simply said, "Nope."

The boy then put his other earbud in and walked away. Jaune attempted to shrug his backpack further onto his shoulder, however he was halted as he felt a tug on the item in question. He turned to see that the girl in white was clutching his backpack and attempting to kill him with her gaze. "I wasn't done talking to you!"

"Well I'm done talking to you." Jaune deadpanned as he attempted to pull the bag from her grasp only for the girl to yank the bag towards her again. "I will not be spoken to like this."

Jaune merely rolled his eyes as he finally was able to take the second strap from her and place it over his shoulder. "Well I don't want some crabby girl screeching at me in the airport, so I guess we're both in for some disappointments."

"Just some crabby girl? I am Weiss Schnee, and I will not be spoken to like this!" Weiss yelled at the boy, noting how the passers bys were watching them. "And I do not screech."

Jaune let out an exasperated groan, before glaring at the girl. His mouth was set in a scowl, and his feet were set apart into a stable stance. Jaune pointed at the girl and his eyes narrowed, "You're pissing me off."

Weiss opened her mouth to deliver a comment on how he would speak to her with the respect due to a Schnee, but was soon silenced by the boy's tone and gaze. Gone was the meek scraggly teenager, and in his place was a far more imposing figure, looking at her as though she were an insect to be crushed. Her mouth closed and she took a moment to collect herself, "Well, I'm through allowing you to waste my time. I have more important things to do."

Jaune relaxed as she turned and shouted at a few white clad bellhops who were carrying several luggage carts. The boy rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "Rich people."

The scraggly blonde noticed the small crowd that was still staring at him, he briefly resumed his glare as he asked, "What the hell are you all staring at?"

The crowd quickly scattered, and Jaune smiled brightly. He made his way toward the baggage claim as he silently thanked his sister's advice on threats. Jaune briefly frowned as he thought of Weiss Schnee while he waited for his bags. Seriously, who needed that much luggage.

* * *

Jaune rested his head against his hand as he gazed out the window of the taxi. As he watched the city move into a blur, he pulled out his great grandfather's journal with his free hand. The small leatherbound book had become a sort of touchstone for him, and he had begun keeping a journal himself. He initially used it to document Far Heaven's growth, but lately it became a bastion of all the secrets Jaune had been keeping. The Ripple. The Stone Mask. The Arrow. The Wizard. All interesting to be certain, but nothing gave away any information about his stand. His father had been no help either.

* * *

"Dad, I found this journal between two books on the shelf in the living room, was it really your grandfather's?" Jaune asked his father, flipping through the small leather book and studying the elegant ink script contained within.

Julius Arc frowned in response and gestured for Jaune to hand over the book, flipping through the pages, "Yes. This was his, I wouldn't take any of this too seriously though Jaune."

Jaune looked at his father skeptically as he took back the book and scanned the pages he had marked. "But dad, even if most of this is made up, did he ever talk about it?"

Jaune's father gave a single nod, before returning his focus to the dishes in front of him. "Yes, but my grandmother always told me it was simple fantasy."

Jaune pressed further, "But what about the wizard?"

His father shook his head, "They're probably just an old friend of my grandfather's, and even then, I've never met them."

Jaune moved to speak further only to stop when his father gave him as stern look and a curt reply, "Jaune, it's just a bunch of nonsense."

The boy sighed and exited the room, listening as his father gave a sigh of relief.

* * *

Jaune shook his head as the car came to a stop. His father was hiding something. He wasn't sure just how many people knew about what transpired in the journals, but one thing was clear, this "wizard" was the key. Tomorrow at the college he would have to search for any clues about where he could find this person. "Wizard" was probably a nickname, not too unique, but enough that someone at the school would have to know them.

Jaune exited the car after paying the cabbie and made his way to the trunk, removing the two suitcases from the back before shrugging the straps of his backpack and duffle bag back into place. His mind raced with theories as he entered the lobby of the cheap hotel and looked around. Dead-ends and wasted leads were all that waited for him back home, Zeppeli's books could only take him so far. The Curse. The Arrow. The Mask. The Wizard.

Jaune would find them. He listed them as he stepped into the elevator and stared at his reflection in the door. He would search the entire city of Vale, he would chase every clue, every lead. Jaune knew from the moment he read the journal, that his stand had been his birthright, and this journal's tale his destiny. He could had stumbled on to the adventures he had wished for as a child. The boy chuckled as he looked up at the rising floor counter, "I guess dreams do come true."

* * *

The streets of downtown Vale were quiet at night. Jaune had managed to stow all of his bags, but was stricken with hunger. Much to his disappointment, all of the hotel's drinks and snacks were horribly over priced. And so Jaune had embarked on a city wide quest to find a place to grab a bite to eat. The club across the street was way out of the question, Jaune could hear the music from outside. The noodle bar under the overpass was out, again, way to noise.

Jaune was beginning to wonder if anywhere in this city was worth visiting this late. The moon was full in the night sky, and the only people he had seen out where men in matching black suits. Maybe he should have stayed at the hotel, but just as Jaune thought this his stomach rumbled in opposition. It was just like Giovanna said, don't go over on the budget, and those hotel snacks would be a fast track to wasting all of his lien.

The blonde pulled his white leather jacket around his body, silently thanking his twin for the going away gift, it was even decorated with a set of yellow twin crescent moons on the back. As Jaune prepared to give up, he noticed a glowing beacon of hope. A convenience store. The exterior was quaint, twin lanterns, large glass windows, a single carved wooden door, a wooden sign over head.

 _From Dust till Dawn_. Jaune shrugged at the name, and peered inside the windows, noting the store seemed to be divided in two, between electronics, and a modest selection of everyday toiletries, snacks and beverages. Jaune felt his stomach growl in approval, and he entered the establishment. He nodded to the elderly clerk, and noted an oddly dressed girl.

She had black hair with red tips, and silver eyes. Jaune assumed they were contacts, which explained the corset, black dress, belt with bullets on it, and red cape and hood. Jaune rolled his eyes as he headed to the snack aisles, and left the girl to gawk at a selection of magazines for gun enthusiasts. Besides, no point in greeting her with those headphones on. His eyes perused the wares, scanning each generic snack hoping that something would jump out at him.

He reached for a bag of chips only to drop them when a gunshot rang through the store. Jaune yelped and looked around for the source of the noise, only to see a well dressed man at the front of the store waving a snub-nosed revolver around. He wore an elegant red lined white coat with buckled sleeves. A small grey scarf decorated his neck and black gloves hid his hands. His legs were clad in long black pants and shoes, with a matching bowler hat on his head, a small feather tucked into the red band. He had a confident smile, long orange bangs covering his right eye, black eyeliner tracing his left eye with a red and black cane in his other hand. His green eyes shone with amusement as he twirled the revolver around in his hand.

"Lady, and gentlemen, do not be alarmed." The criminal greeted with a sense of grandeur, "I am Roman Torchwick, and as long as none of you move, nobody has to get hurt, capiche?"

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he stared at the man, his eyes flitting to the elderly clerk who nodded hesitantly, and the red hooded girl, who appeared to have her eyes locked on to his gun. Jaune slowly nodded, as did the girl, which prompted a response from Roman, "Wonderful, now, you the elderly gentleman behind the counter."

Roman pointed the revolver at the man as he spoke, "I'm afraid I'll be needing all of the money you have in this lovely little shop."

The old man opened the register, his hands shaking as he emptied the first register. Roman then made a sweeping gesture to Jaune and the red hooded girl with the revolver, "Now, you two, front and center."

The two remained rooted until Roman pointed the revolver at the glass and fired twice, saying, "Bang, Bang!"

Jaune's eyes widened however as a stand materialized next to Roman, and produced two glowing shots from the end of the revolver that pierced the glass and shattered it. The stand had what appeared to be dials on its shoulders, and a speaker circle in the center of it's chest. The body was almost robotic, with hinges on each joint, it's face had a single stylized eye, and wide smile. A set of earrings hung from the stand's antenna like ears, shaped like the letter B. The stand was posed with it's arms out stretched, its hands producing two rock on symbols as it appeared to leap back, bobbing from left to right. Jaune couldn't stop the words that escaped his lips, "You're a stand user?"

The criminal raised an eyebrow, before looking at the man behind the counter. The poor elderly man had apparently fainted from the surprise of the successive gunshots. Roman then smiled as he nodded, the gun pointed at Jaune exclusively. "Impressive kid. Yeah, I am. This is my stand, Bang Bang!"

The criminal then pointed the cane at the red hooded girl, who was staring at the two of them with a bewildered look. "Red, why don't you go see to the old man, let the grown ups talk."

The girl opened her mouth to protest before the gun was pointed her way, she then stuck out her tongue and made her way behind the counter with the old man. Roman merely chuckled in response, "Now, let's have a chat, stand user to stand user."

Jaune hesitantly nodded staring at the gun now pointed at him. "I'm listening."

Roman eyed the boy, as if looking for weaknesses, as he spoke, "I'll give it to you straight kid, my...employer is looking for talented individuals such as myself, and I might be able to swing an invitation, depending on if you, measure up, you dig?"

The teenager raised his hands in protest and stuttered, out a reply, "I dunno, I mean, I don't even know what my stand does, and I haven't even had it for a year. I mean don't get me wrong, I want to learn to use my stand, I just don't know if I want to use it to rob convenience stores-" His ramblings were interrupted as a glowing shot passed by his ear. Jaune then complied, "Far Heaven!"

The crusader manifested as it threw a swift punch at the criminal, The yellow robes it wore rippled as it attacked, the once faded grey circles on its limbs clearly defined, the white wings on it's angles extended, and it's eyes narrowed in anger. Roman ducked back from the attack, his eye widening in excitement as Bang Bang grasped the revolver in his hand and focused it's eye on Far Heaven. Jaune followed the attack from behind his stance, throwing a kick at the criminal and connecting with the man's stomach, "Muda!"

Roman fell back but quickly rolled behind one of the aisles, as Jaune and his stand chased after the other stand user, he called out to the red haired girl, "Get the old man out of here!" Jaune couldn't wait for a reply as he pointed towards the shelves he had seen Roman duck behind, "Get 'em!"

Far Heaven obliged, knocking over the shelf onto the criminal. The sounds of electronics crashing against the ground echoed throughout the shop, although much louder than Jaune had expected. The sound of crashing appliances roared in his ears, and the boy clutched his head as his vision swam. He then felt the wind leave his body, as he saw Bang Bang planting it's palm against his stomach, following it with a series of similar strikes all culminating in a double palm strike. Jaune was sent sailing through the air into one of the shelves, and the sounds roared around him to a disorienting degree. He struggled to stand and when he did he saw that Roman was taking aim with his revolver, Jaune reached for the nearest item and threw it at the man, Roman ducked it with ease, but as his head turned to track the canned sausage, Jaune had rushed forward, throwing a punch and shouting, "Far Heaven!"

The stand landed the first blow, knocking Roman into his own stand behind him, Jaune leaned back as he threw out a hand towards the criminal stand user and shouted, "Muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda!"

Each muda was punctuated with an attack, only to be interrupted when Jaune threw back his head and shouted, "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYY"

Roman coughed as he slumped forward, the kid didn't have to much control over his stand, but he sure knew how to fight. He slowly raised his revolver and fired two more shots,one of which grazed his cheek, and the other which slammed into his left shoulder. The boy grasped the arm in pain and after returning his gaze forward, he saw Roman opening the revolver and emptying the spent casings onto the floor. The criminal then reached for a bag on his hip only for it to be snatched away by a blur of red as a red hooded girl yelled, "Guns and Roses!"

Both men widened their eyes and saw the red hooded girl standing on the counter, one arm across her hip grasping her rose belt buckle, and the other hand positioned to allow her chin to rest between her thumb and index finger. Jaune took advantage of the criminal's surprise and disarmament surging forward with his stand and using Far Heaven to launch him in the air. Jaune looked to the girl and yelled, "Red!"

The girl grinned and cheered as she nodded and said, "You got it blondie!"

The two positioned themselves between the mid-air criminal and yelled their stand names in unison, "Guns and roses! Far Heaven!"

The two let out fierce cries in unison as they piled on their attacks Jaune yelled, "Muda muda muda muda muda," while the red hooded girl cried, "Hyaaaa!" The two holding their cries before sending the man soaring out of the window. Jaune gave the girl's stand a look as they stepped through the now broken window, noting it's appearance. The stand wore a red lined white hood, with its skin being a strange shade of green, bearing thorns jutting out of its shoulders, knees, elbows, and the middle of it's chest, its face bore two red eyes, and a small closed mouth with no nose in sight. The two walked out onto the street and saw Roman coughing up blood, as he fished some kind of cannister out of his jacket.

The man steadily rose to his feet and pulled away from the top of the canister, before saying, "Well, as much fun as this is I know when to cut and run, been real fun kiddos."

Ruby pushed forward and Jaune's eyes widened as he saw a lever like object fly out as Roman threw the can. The boy tackled Ruby to the ground as the flashbang went off, the sound cracking the pavement with it's intensity and shattering nearby windows. When the two managed to stand, Roman was gone, along with his stand.

Jaune looked over to the red hooded girl, and saw that she was staring at him. The two stand users stood in silence for a minute, before Jaune extended a hand. "Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

The girl rolled her eyes as she snorted in amusement before shaking his hand. "Ruby Rose. And do they?"

* * *

 **Stand: FAR HEAVEN**

 **User: Jaune Arc**

 **Power: D**

 **Speed: D**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: E**

 **Precision: C**

 **Potential: A**

* * *

 **And thus ends the first stand battle of the story. Please feel free to leave comments on the battle in the reviews, and once again, many thanks to all who review, favorite and follow. It's wonderful to know people enjoy the weirdness I produce. Anyway, Roman's stand ability is the ability to focus and amplify sounds, in order to utilize this he uses a gun that fires blanks, and flashbangs, allowing him to make the most of his stand's abilities for crime and leaving behind as little evidence as possible. As for what to expect in the next chapter? Well Jaune and Ruby have something to talk about since Jaune wasn't even aware of the existence of other stand users.**


	4. Chapter 4

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Jaune and Ruby had ended up in a diner about five blocks away from his hotel, and about twenty blocks away from _From Dust til Dawn_. The two had mainly done small talk, complimenting each other's moves and exchanging phone numbers. Jaune himself was holding back about fifty questions regarding Ruby, her stand, the existence of other stand users and most importantly, the questions regarding "the wizard". Of course Jaune couldn't help but notice the way Ruby was biting her lip during lulls in the conversation. She clearly had something to say to him, and as they sat in front of their bowls of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes, the two would make eye contact, blush and then look away. Rinse. Repeat.

Finally, Jaune opted to speak. "Sooooooo." The boy drawled before continuing, "Guns and Roses?"

The girl rolled her eyes in response mid spoonful, before swallowing and pointing the spoon at him, "Really Mr. Far Heaven?"

"Hey, he liked it!" Jaune whined defending himself as he ate another bite.

This prompted a look of surprise from Ruby as she set her spoon down. "Wait, your stand likes things?"

Jaune nodded in confusion, looking at the girl's wide silver eyes. The boy cocked his head to the side, as he replied, "Yeah. He liked one of the songs I had playing, and I based his name off of it. Doesn't your stand like things?"

Ruby shook her head in response, "No, Roses just sort of watches me. She doesn't seem to like anything or dislike it."

"Wait, then how did you come up with her name?" Jaune asked as he ate another spoonful of cereal, his eyes filled with curiosity.

The silver eyed girl seemed to perk up at the question, "My uncle named her!"

Jaune smiled at the response, before realizing just what her answer implied. "Wait, your uncle is can see stands?"

"Well yeah. He's a stand user." Ruby replied, watching as Jaune's eyes widened in response. She noticed that Jaune had reacted to all of this evening like he had never seen another stand or stand user before. She then opted to ask a question, "Jaune, have you met another stand user before tonight?"

Jaune shook his head in response before adding, "I didn't even know there were other stand users until tonight. I only knew the term from some weird books at a local occult shop in my town."

Ruby nodded in response, "I didn't know about most of this stuff until I developed Guns and Roses. Once my uncle found out he told me everything. My sister has a stand too, she apparently developed it when I was young, and my uncle taught her how to use it." Ruby paused to see Jaune flipping through a notebook, "So anything you want to know?"

"Yeah, it sounds like only stand users can see stands, is that how it works?" Jaune asked, producing a pencil.

Ruby nodded as she replied, "Yeah, only stand users can see stands. Regular people can see objects moving and stuff being affected by stands, but they can't see stands themselves. My dad isn't a stand user, but he knows about all of this stuff, he can't see Guns and Roses, or any other stands."

Jaune raised his pencil and Ruby motioned for him to speak, "So do stands run in the family? Like its genetic?"

Ruby shrugged in response, "I don't know. My uncle thinks it is, but he's still not sure."

Jaune nodded, before asking another question, "So I saw Torchwick's stand make glowing bullets shoot out of his gun. What else can stands do?"

Ruby nodded eagerly, a wide smile spreading across his face, "I noticed that too! When he fired his first shot I could tell he was using blanks, since there wasn't a mark on the ceiling. I think his stand can do something with sounds."

"Yeah, the way that everything was way louder, and the pavement cracks. I think his stand can control sounds, like focus them and make them louder and stuff." Jaune said, jotting the information down into his notebook.

Ruby leaned back in her seat and sighed, "Yeah, that would explain how why he used blanks and how the shelf's falling over made so much noise."

Jaune nodded, jotting down Torchwick's name, stand name, and what he assumed was the stand's power. Jaune then wrote down the word employer followed by a question mark. Roman mentioned an employer, and that they might be interested in hiring him if his stand was strong enough. If they were recruiting, and Torchwick talked about bringing in people like them, did that mean there were other stand users in the city? Jaune sighed in frustration as he leaned back in his seat, looking up as Ruby spoke, "Hey, Jaune?"

Jaune looked up at the girl, who had a small frown on her face. "You mentioned you aren't from around here. Why did you come to Vale?"

Jaune's heart stopped in his chest for a moment. He needed any and all leads he could get, but as much as Ruby knew about stands, his grandfather only referred to it as a theory. Jaune was fairly certain the girl knew nothing about what he was searching for. Jaune shrugged and replied, "I start at Beacon tomorrow."

Ruby's eyes widened as she replied, "So did I!"

Jaune gave the girl a skeptical look, and asked, "Aren't you a little young to be going to Beacon."

Ruby pouted as she gave a small whine, "Why does everyone say that?"

Jaune then reached across the table and mussed her hair before saying, "Cause it's true. You can't be older than fifteen."

Ruby scoffed and looked off to the side, "I'm sixteen thank you very much."

Jaune raised his hands in mock surrender, "I'm sorry. Anyway, I came to Vale to get out of my hometown. I figured Beacon was a good excuse. Vale's one of the four biggest cities in Remnant. I figured if anyone can tell me more about stands, this would be the best place to find them."

Ruby shrugged as she smiled, "Well, I guess you figured right. I'll have to call my uncle about there's a stand user causing trouble in the city he'll want to know."

Jaune rose from the table and stretched as the check arrived, dropping a few lien bills on the table. "Welp, it's late as hell, and I need to get back to my hotel room. Want me to call you a cab?"

Ruby shook her head as she produced her phone, "Nah, my sister will give me a ride."

Jaune nodded before asking, "Want me to wait with you?"

Ruby shook her head again, as she replied, "No, and Jaune." The girl paused as the boy began to walk away, "If I find out anything about Torchwick, I'll call you. Maybe my uncle can help you figure out how to use your stand's ability."

Jaune nodded in response, as he pulled his hood on. If Ruby was attending Beacon he'd probably run into her at some point this orientation week. The boy exited the diner and saw an orange sports motorcycle round the corner. He rolled his eyes as he zipped up his white leather jacket, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked off. Jaune rounded the corner and looked up at the night sky. Ruby Rose. Roman Torchwick. Ruby's sister. Ruby's Uncle. Stand users. He smiled as he picked up the pace. It wasn't info on the wizard, but it was a start. If Ruby's uncle knew as much about stands and their abilities as he Ruby suggested, then he might know something about his great grandfather. After all, the term stand was from his theories. Only one way he could have known that information.

* * *

Jaune Arc leaned against the window of the bus from Vale to Beacon, sound asleep. His backpack and duffel bag rested on top of two suitcases in the seat next to him. The scraggly blonde snored softly with his face to the glass, only to be roused by the lurch of the bus as it pushed forward. Jaune groaned as he attempted to return to his slumber, only to find his stomach already performing somersaults as the bus picked up speed.

Jaune opened his journal and reread the notes he had made last night. Although there were two particular notes. It was what he now dubbed a "stand cry" He had noticed that during her attack, Ruby had yelled, "hyaaaa" much like he would repeat the word Muda. Jaune had wondered why he had chosen the word as his, spirit yell, as his sister Jolyne so elegantly put it. Supposedly, it helped put air in his lungs made him hit harder, but Jaune still wasn't sure why he picked that particular word. There was also the matter of the other sound he had made. Wry. Jaune had no idea why, but as his stand unleashed it's barrage on Torchwick, he couldn't help but cry that strange word.

What confused Jaune most was the elation he felt upon yelling it, something about it just felt right. Jaune wrote the words down, and circled them. He saw no harm in using them, after all, "intimidate your opponent" and "hit harder" had been Jolyne's advice. Jaune resumed his staring out the window, and hoped that he was tired enough to just pass out.

* * *

Jaune stepped off the bus the same as he always did after any sort of travel, pale, bleary-eyed and ready to hurl. After finding a trash can to drop his breakfast off after it's return trip, Jaune glanced around, and noticed the various signs denoting where new arrivals were to go and who they needed to speak to. As Jaune navigated the university's lavish grounds his sickness left him, and he soon felt more at ease. He managed to acquire the key to his dorm room, as well as drop off his backpack and luggage to be brought there. The boy unzipped his jacket and pinned the name tag to his hoodie. Jaune glanced around at his orientation group and found two familiar faces, although they appeared to be at each other's throats.

A girl in white was dabbing at her jacket as she scolded the girl across from her. Said girl was clad in black and a familiar red hood as she profusely apologized. "I'm really sorry, I just sneezed, and I didn't know you where there, and-"

"Well, sorry isnt going to pay for my jacket! Do you have any idea how much this costs?" The girl in white yelled, gesturing to the once luxurious fabric.

Jaune strolled over and cocked his head to the side as he raised an eyebrow, "Way too much princess."

Ruby snickered at his interruption as she trotted over and greeted him with a small wave, "Hi Jaune!"

"Excuse me, No one asked for your opinion!" Weiss interrupted, glaring at the boy.

"Ruby." Jaune greeted with a nod, before giving Weiss a brief glance before returning his focus to Ruby, "I see you've met the ice queen."

"Stop ignoring me!" Weiss continued to glare at Jaune as she stamped her foot indignantly.

Jaune leaned in next to Ruby and gave a mock whisper, "It's her secret weakness! She needs people to pay attention to her squawking or she'll die."

Weiss let out a cry of rage as she stomped away from the two, still desperately attempting to clean her jacket. Jaune then made a baseball safe sign as he commented, "And there she goes, hate, no I still like watching her go. And if I'm honest, not a whole lot for me to watch as she goes."

Ruby's jaw dropped as she slapped Jaune's arm. He oined in, and soon the two were talking about their respective days thus far. Ruby had yet to hear back from her uncle about Roman, but before the two could delve into any serious discussion the tour commenced. As they wandered the camps the two exchanged some of the details about themselves. Ruby's sister Yang was actually her half sister, and Yang's mom was a stand user, although not in their lives anymore. Jaune spoke about his seven sisters and how he seemed to be the only stand user in his family.

As the tour came to a close Ruby pulled out her phone as it began to ring, Jaune walked away a short distance and upon completion of the call Ruby sheepishly asked, "Hey Jaune, how would you feel about meeting my sister?"

Jaune was hesitant to answer. Her sister was apparently a stand user, and while that presented interesting opportunities, he still wanted to look forward information on the wizard. The campus had free wifi, and he could definitely make good use of it with his computer back in his room. Jaune gave an apologetic smile and immediately saw Ruby's face drop. "Sorry, can't swing it tonight. I have some stuff I have to do."

Ruby nodded as she kicked at the dirt, "Alright. I'll catch you later Jaune."

"See ya." Jaune said as he gave a wave, turning on his heel. Meeting other stand users would have to wait.

* * *

Jaune leaned back in the single room he had been assigned. It was cramped, barely enough room for his bed, desk, and school provided mini fridge. Beacon wasn't one of the best schools in the country for nothing. He tapped away at his laptop and searched for any shops similar to Zeppeli's in the area. Unfortunately, the closest thing appeared to be Tukson's Book Trade, which more than likely wouldn't have what he was searching for.

Jaune sighed as he lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It would have been more productive to meet Ruby's sister after all. Hindsight and all. Jaune then calmly called out his stand, "Far Heaven."

The white and gold crusader manifested and Jaune pointed to the stereo his father had given him as a graduation gift. Far Heaven deposited a CD into the machine and pressed play, Jaune closed his eyes and let the sounds of classical music fill the room. Jaune raised an eyebrow as he shrugged. "Far Heaven didn't have strange taste, so much as a bad habit of picking up the top CD and playing it regardless of what it contained.

Jaune heard the ringing of his phone and slowly rose, as he answered the phone he said, "New phone who this?"

He heard a familiar voice stammer out a reply, "Hey, it's me, Ruby, we met the other night?"

Jaune chuckled, "Just messing with you, what's up?"

"Heh, you know how I offered to let you meet my sister?" Ruby laughed nervously, causing Jaune's eyes to widen in surprise, "Well, she really wants to meet you. You're one of the first stand users outside of our family that I've met aside from Torchwick, and she's kind of overprotective. She just wants to make sure that you're not a serial killer or something."

"Damn, guess I better hide all of my knives and severed hands." Jaune deadpanned over the phone, looking back at his bed where his journal, laptop, and his grandfather's journal all lay spread out and open. "I guess I could swing it, most of my stuff ended up being less time consuming than I thought."

Jaune could hear the surprise and excitement in her voice as she replied, "Really!? That's great! We'll meet at that statue at the front of the campus, alright?"

Jaune nodded before realizing Ruby couldn't see him, "Yeah, no problem. See you there."

Jaune slung his jacket around his shoulders, the fine white leather sitting comfortably on his shoulder. He zipped up his hoodie and threw his hood on as he exited, Far Heaven pulling the door shut as he walked down the hall, his face hidden by the shadow of his hood, Jaune's identity as a stand user remained hidden from a red haired girl who's eyes widened as she saw the boy's stand float after him.

* * *

Jaune stood in front of the statue, leaning against the stone pedestal with his hands laced behind his back, as he saw Ruby approaching in the distance. His eyebrows were raised as he noticed the girl standing next to her. Black sports shorts, yellow crop top, brown cropped leather jacket, some kind of brown half skirt with a strange sheer trim, tall brown boots with an orange scarf tied near her knee. Jaune whistled at the image, and he thought Ruby had fucked up fashion sense. Seriously, did all stand users just wear weird clothes? Jaune nodded as he looked between the two, they really did look nothing alike, opposite hair colors, different eye colors, and the fact that her sister was almost as tall as he was. As the two approached him, Jaune noticed the frown on her face and how she eyed him suspiciously, Ruby on the other hand awkwardly waved as she gave a nervous smile.

"Hey Jaune." The girl said before gesturing to the girl next to her, "This is my sister Yang."

Jaune looked at the girl, and nodded before saying, "Hey."

The girl raised an eyebrow, her frown deepening as she moved forward and said, "Mind taking your hood off?"

Jaune complied and stared into the girl's lilac eyes. "So you're a stand user as well."

Yang nodded and said, "Desperado."

Flames whirled behind her, before wreathing themselves into a distinctly feminine figure. Clad in what appeared to be roman armor, the stand's hair resembled a cascade of flame, its armor bore a similar pattern, and it's face was set into a furious appeared to be shotgun shells were wrapped around its wrists. The stand had bright gold eyes, and stood behind it's user looking as though it couldn't wait to move. Jaune smirked at the stand, before calling his own, "Far Heaven."

The gold and white crusader appeared, It's eyes locked onto Desperado. Ruby looked between Yang and Jaune, noting how the two looked ready to fight. "Yang, Jaune's on our side. He helped me when Torchwick tried to rob the store remember."

Yang nodded as she extended a hand, "Yang Xiao Long." The girl's serious expression finally broke as she gave a big grin, "Sorry about the third degree, I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to Ruby."

Ruby raised an eyebrow as she gave her sister a questioning smile, "Just when it comes to me?"

Yang then pulled her sister into a headlock and looked at Jaune before saying, "So, how about a quick match?"

Jaune's eyes widened in response as he pulled his hands from his pocket, rolling his neck. "No thanks. I'm good."

Yang sighed, before nodding, "Figured as much. So...what can your stand do?"

Jaune shrugged indifferently as his stand floated around him, "No clue."

Yang smiled as she jerked a thumb to Desperado, "Mine can control fire. Make it stronger, bigger, burn hotter. It only works on existing fires though."

Jaune then turned to Ruby, "You know, you never told me what Guns and Roses can do."

"Oh! Guns and Roses enhances my speed so that I can move as fast as she can." Ruby nodded eagerly as she explained, "Whenever I use it rose petals trail behind me."

Jaune whistled, both were impressive. Jaune silently pondered just what his stand could do, but his thoughts were interrupted as Yang spoke up, "So Jaune, our uncle wants us to look around the city for other stand users, you know, try and put a stop to what Torchwick is doing. Are you in?"

Jaune immediately shook his head in response. "Nope."

Yang was surprised as she stepped back and asked, "Really?"

Jaune nodded quickly as he replied, "Really. I didn't come to Vale to get involved in some giant stand user thing."

The two girl's seemed caught off guard by this, and moved to try and convince him, "But-"

"But nothing." Jaune said as he put on his hood, "I'm not getting involved in this, I have other things I need to do."

Yang reached out and grabbed his shoulder as he walked away. "Then help us, and we can help you."

Jaune jerked his shoulder out of his grip. "I'll be fine. You guys know way more about this stand user stuff anyway, I'm not gonna be much help."

Yang once again grabbed his shoulder and forcibly turned him around, "Look, you helped my sister fight this Torchwick guy, you're involved."

Jaune scoffed, "Even so, I don't want to be further involved."

Yang groaned in annoyance and her eyes turned red as she shouted at him, "Look! Our uncle knows a lot about stand users, whatever it is you need to do, he knows lots of people who can help!"

Jaune turned and left and as Yang reached for him once more he swatted her arm away and turned to her, scowling as he said, "Back off."

"Make me-" Yang began as she cracked her knuckles only for Ruby to intervene, "It's fine. Let's go Yang, please."

The blonde girl looked at her pleading sister and sighed as her frown melted into a weak smile. "Alright Rubes." She then turned and began to walk in the opposite direction, Ruby called out to Jaune as she jogged after her sister, "If you change your mind let us know Jaune!"

Jaune gave a brief wave as a response, still walking away. He wouldn't be changing his mind anytime soon. He didn't have time for this. The Arrow. The Mask. The Wizard. These were his goals while he was here. As useful of a resource as their uncle might be, Jaune wasn't going to stake everything on that one lead. In the event he changed his mind, he would help on his terms, not blindly follow Yang and Ruby. They seemed like good people, but it was clear they barely had a game plan, search the city for stand users and hope that lead them to Roman? It wasn't a plan so much as a shot in the dark. Jaune had to admit the thought of learning about his stand was really tempting, but the way they were progressing he'd be learning on the battlefield. Considering what the stands he had seen so far could do, he wanted as much time as possible to learn what his stand could do without having to discover it in some life or death battle. After all, he had his own goals.

* * *

 **So yeah, for those hoping this would go all stardust crusaders, Jaune won't be running off on adventures with them all the time. Jaune has his own ambitions, his own goals, and he won't just be setting them aside to go help Ruby and Yang after one fight. As for Yang's stand, Desperado has a couple of tricks up it's sleeve, it's not just Magician's Red. Now, housekeeping! Thanks once again for all the reviews follows and favorites, make sure to review and let me know how I did, as well as what you think about my take on Jaune. As for what to expect in the next chapter, let's just say Jaune will be meeting the Pucci to his Dio.**


	5. Chapter 5

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Jaune's room had become a mess after only a week at Beacon. He had skipped most orientation activities, and dedicated his time to researching. Ruby and her sister ate with him a couple times, but other than that he spent most of his time roaming Vale, sequestered in his room, or tucked away into a corner of the library. Jaune had spoken with several faculty members, but none of them could point him in the direction of the "wizard" from his great grandfather's journal.

On the plus side, he had found four different books mentioning a mystical bow and arrow that was said to give people strange powers. The stories about these abilities were inconsistent at best, but each story matched the journal's description of the arrow. There was also a single book that referenced the stone mask from his grandfather's journal, a bunch of stories about vampires and men who could control the elements. Not great information, but about half of it matched up with the journal.

Jaune sighed as he pulled himself away from the mess of open books and papers. The boy scooped up his journal and paused his stereo, which had been playing Chopin for the past hour. He flipped to the most recent entries, and crossed out the final book on the list. Nothing. He could spend a few more weeks at this, but he wasn't going to get anywhere fast.

The blonde ran a hand through his hair as he let out an annoyed sigh. This was beyond frustrating. Not to mention the imbecile that had been bothering him all week.

* * *

"You having a good time?" Ruby asked the boy standing next to her as she awkwardly sipped at her drink as the two leaned against a wall.

"Just peachy." Jaune said as he took a sip from his red solo cup as well. The two has done what all socially awkward youth did when they were dragged to parties they didn't want to attend. They found a wall, a drink, and clung to one spot for dear life.

Yang was currently off dancing in the middle of the crowd, and Ruby looked about ready to die from embarrassment. "I'm gonna go talk to Yang about leaving."

Jaune merely shrugged and took a sip from his drink, "If she's too drunk to walk, I'm not carrying her."

Ruby gave an exasperated groan as she stomped off, leaving him alone. As Jaune took another sip, a large red haired boy bumped into him. Jaune remained unmoved but the boy fell to the ground, and picked himself up with a considerable amount of swearing. Jaune's bored blue eyes examined the boy with mild disinterest, Cardin Winchester, was it? Brute of a boy, total airhead, and apparently violent drunk.

"Watch where the fuck you're going!" Cardin barked at Jaune, only for the boy to snort.

"Yep. Next time I'm standing completely still, I'll watch where I'm going." Jaune said with a yawn as he took another sip from his drink.

Cardin's face twisted into a smirk as he staggered off, "Damn right you will."

Jaune then took another sip. He had about a minute, minute and a half before Cardin realized what he had said. He could leave, but then what would he do if Ruby came looking for him. What a total pain. Jaune merely remained stationary, and waited for Cardin's return. Sure enough, the boy came stumbling back and without so much as a warning stumbled forward as he swung at Jaune. The blonde ducked under the attack, and let Cardin crash into the wall. The redhead, in a fit of rage threw another punch, but was stunned when Jaune threw his drink into his face. Jaune then slammed his fist under the boy's chin as he surged forward, swaying back as Cardin fell to the ground. The boy scoffed at the unconscious boy and muttered, "Worthless."

He was shaken from his reverie as he heard a cheer from Yang, "Yeah! Kick his ass!"

The boy merely sighed as he pulled on his hood and exited the building with Ruby and an incredibly intoxicated Yang. True to his word, when she passed out halfway to her dorm, he did not carry her.

* * *

Jaune groaned as he exited his dorm, Cardin had proved himself to be quite skilled at holding grudges. The red haired brute's latest attempt at vengeance was covering Jaune's door in various signs featuring very colorful comments on Jaune, his masculinity, his sexuality, and his physique. Jaune merely left them as they were, if he took them down more would be there the next day, and he really didn't care at this point.

The blonde stand user walked to the cafeteria in silence, only to be approached by a girl with long red hair. Clad in a brown sweater, plaid skirt with tights and sensible shoes, her green eyes shone with confidence and happiness as she politely introduced herself, "Excuse me, I'm sorry but would you mind if I walked with you to the dining hall?"

"Knock yourself out." Jaune said with a shrug as he continued his pace. He then gave the girl a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Jaune Arc."

The girl nodded before hesitantly saying, "Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jaune nodded in reply. A touch formal, but hardly unwelcome. He then noticed that the tension seemed to leave the girl after a minute before hesitantly asking, "What kind of movies do you like?"

Jaune shrugged as they walked before replying, "Not really a movie guy. I'm sideways crazy about crime dramas, but that's about it."

Pyrrha's smile seemed to widen as she said, "Really? Well, I'm from Mistral, what about you?"

"Some small city in the middle of nowhere." Jaune said with a snort as they kept walking, upon noticing Pyrrha's confusion he explained. "Mountain Glenn. It's about three hours from Vale by plane."

Pyrrha nodded as they walked. "Yes, Mistral was a great deal farther."

Jaune nodded in affirmation as the two continued to walk, before long they had entered the dining hall and made their plates. Pyrrha had a small salad, and Jaune had a plate of chicken nuggets. Pyrrha sat across from him and calmly began to cut into her food, while Jaune ate with his fingers. The girl attempted to start a conversation only to be interrupted, "So Jaune, what are you study-"

"Pardon me, but are you Pyrrha Nikos?" A girl clad in white asked, her blue eyes widening in shock.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Pyrrha replied politely before Weiss jumped at the opportunity, "Can I join you?"

Pyrrha smiled as she happily replied, "Certainly, Jaune and I had only just begun our meal."

Weiss then turned to see Jaune calmly biting into a chicken nugget as he gave a brief wave before returning to his meal. "You again!?"

"Yep." Jaune deadpanned as he continued to eat, only for Pyrrha to calmly ask. "Do you two know each other?"

"Pyrrha, I don't think it's a good idea to associate with brute's and rapscallions like this...boy here."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "As you can see. The Ice Queen is one of my best friends in the whole wide world. She's a pain in the ass, but I'm sure underneath the snobbery she's a total sweetheart. Albeit one with an insult about how poor you are written on it."

Pyrrha giggled to herself as Weiss indignantly yelped, "Pyrrha! And you, do you even know who you're eating with?"

"A charming redhead and a crazy rich girl with a thing for white?" Jaune offered, hearing Pyrrha attempt to stifle a laugh.

Weiss glared at Jaune as she gestured to Pyrrha, "This is Pyrrha Nikos!"

Jaune nodded slowly, "Yes that is her name."

"She graduated top of her class at Sanctum!" Weiss said, still gesturing to the girl.

"Never heard of it." Jaune said with a yawn, noticing the smile on Pyrrha's face grow wider and wider.

Weiss's frown grew wider and her tone remained the same, "She was the lead actress in From Mistral With Love!?"

"Never seen it." Jaune replied maintaining his disinterest, noticing how Pyrrha looked like a kid on Christmas.

Weiss finally snapped and shouted, "She's on the front of every box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!"

Jaune shrugged as he ate another nugget. "I'm more of an omelette guy."

Weiss let out an annoyed screech as Jaune dabbed at his mouth with a napkin before rising and waving at Pyrrha and Weiss before leaving. "Well it was great meeting you Pyrrha, and thanks for the lesson Weiss. If it's any consolation, I still don't care. Ciao."

As Jaune walked away he could hear Pyrrha running up behind him, "I finished my salad Jaune, and I believe we live in the same dorm, do you mind if I walk back with you?"

Jaune shrugged as he beckoned for her to follow, pondering what he should do. Only to be surprised as Pyrrha leaned and whispered in his ear, "Jaune, I know about your stand."

Jaune stopped dead in his tracks, looking up as Pyrrha moved to stand in front of him, a happy smile decorating her face. "I always thought I was crazy, I never dreamed my great grandmother's stories could be true."

"Stories?" Jaune asked dumbly, still in shock as Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

"Yes. My great grandmother, Lisa Lisa Nikos, mentor of Joseph Arc in the way of the ripple." Pyrrha said as she extended a hand.

Jaune finally managed to snap out of his stupor as he took her hand. "Let's adjourn to my room, something tells me this isn't going to be a short conversation."

* * *

 **And so the identity of the mystery redhead from the last chapter is revealed! Yes. Pyrrha's great grandmother is Lisa Lisa. No she isn't Joseph's mother in this. Yes, she was still his mentor and Ceasar's mentor. And no, she is not the wizard. Sorry for the shorter chapter today, was in a car accident. Don't worry, no one was harmed. Just my pride. And my bumper. Anywho, thanks to all of the people following this story, and leaving reviews, you guys give me life! Now what to expect in the next chapter, well more Pyrrha of course.**


	6. Chapter 6

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Jaune turned the chair at his desk around and sat down in it, gesturing to the whole of the room. "Make yourself at home."

"Don't mind if I do." Pyrrha said, kicking off her shoes and lounging on his bed, her head propped up by her hand as she examined Jaune. Her green eyes seemed different than when he had met her, more focused, as though she were searching him for any sign of weakness. "What's that on your ear? The left one."

Jaune brushed his hair out of the way, revealing the ear completely, three dots stood out on his earlobe. "It's a birthmark. My grandfather told me it was good luck."

Pyrrha nodded before examining her nails as she laid on her back, finally speaking after a few moments, "So, what do you want to know?"

Jaune folded his hands behind his head as he looked up to his ceiling, "How about what you know about the stone mask? My grandfather's journal mentioned that it turned men into vampires, and that he used a technique known as the ripple to fight them."

"The stone mask was successfully destroyed by my great grandmother, Lisa Lisa. She worked alongside your great grandfather to defeat a man named Kars, who had created the mask intended to use them to enhance his own race, the pillar men." Pyrrha answered, rolling back onto her side and glancing at Jaune. "Do you know anything about the pillar men?"

Jaune shook his head, and Pyrrha calmly explained, "The short version, is that the pillar men where a race of super beings, that fed on humans. Your great grandfather and my great grandmother eradicated them through use of the ripple."

Jaune then raised a hand to interject, "What is the ripple?"

"The predecessor to the stand. A breathing technique that allowed it's user to control the energy of the sun through controlling one's spiritual energy." Pyrrha answered, staring into Jaune's eyes. "Lisa Lisa believed that the ripple could evolve, just like the abilities of vampires. Joseph Arc agreed, my mother developed her stand during her time of mastering the ripple, however she has yet to lose the ability, so we are unsure if the stand and the ripple truly are one in the same."

Jaune nodded calmly, before turning to her, "So, do you have any idea how one acquires a stand?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "The stand still eludes my mother's understanding. We believe that those who can utilize the ripple can develop a stand, but it requires immense spiritual strength, otherwise the person's stand could kill them."

"I see." Jaune said with a nod. This girl...she knew a lot. And she was divulging it all so freely. "You know a lot about this."

Pyrrha smiled as she cocked her head to the side. "You're the first stand user I've met outside of my family, and your ancestor fought alongside mine. I think there's a sort of obligation between us."

"An alliance?" Jaune queried, raising an eyebrow.

Pyrrha giggled at the faux tone of granduer, "Of sorts. Any other burning questions?"

Jaune nodded as he pulled out his journal, hesitantly displaying it before the girl, "I didn't come to Beacon to study history like my application said. I came to find out about four things from my great grandfather's journal."

Pyrrha nodded as she took the journal and examined the page, "The stone mask is gone, I don't know anything about an arrow, or a wizard. As for the curse on your family, my great grandmother never talked about it much. She simply thought it was some sort of family destiny."

Jaune groaned in exasperation as he sat back down, "Great. Well thanks for the info."

"Hold your horses." Pyrrha mock scolded as she sat up, crossing her legs. "My great grandmother never mentioned a wizard, but she did mention a man named Ozpin quite a lot in her stories. Perhaps he's the man you're looking for?"

Jaune's eyes widened as he quickly produced a pen and asked, "How do you spell that?"

"O.Z.P.I.N." The green eyed girl replied with a smile. "Now, what does your stand do?"

Jaune finished jotting the name down before leaning back and attempting to put on a suave smile, "I'm feeling a little exposed Miss Nikos, perhaps if you showed me your stand I'd feel a bit more comfortable divulging my information?"

Pyrrha put a hand over her mouth as she gave a brief blush, before standing up from her seat on his bed and striding over to Jaune, whispering two words in his ear, "Silver Lining."

Jaune's face lit up in a blush as Pyrrha backed away and shot him a brief wink, her stand soon materialized. A feminine figure not unlike desperado, but wearing what appeared to be some sort of silver corset, paired with a red sash worn like a short skirt, as well as a silver circlet, a similar silver vambrace covering the stand's left forearm. What appeared to be black opera length gloves were worn on both arms, its green eyes boasting a red coloring in the shape of wings around them. The stand had short red hair pulled up into a sort of ponytail, a small confident smile playing on it's lips. Jaune gave a small round of applause as he said, "Far Heaven."

The white and yellow crusader appeared, and locked it's gaze onto Silver Lining, standing between his user and the other stand. Jaune waved the stand aside, and answered Pyrrha's question, "I'm not quite sure yet."

Pyrrha nodded, "A fair answer. My stand's ability is polarity."

"You can control magnetism?" Jaune said with a raised eyebrow as he watched her stand explore the room. "Quite a feat."

Pyrrha nodded as she dismissed her stand, the figure disappearing. "My stand can imbue metal objects with a strong magnetic field, unfortunately, it only lasts for about 10 minutes, or until I use it on another metal object."

Jaune nodded once more, before lacing his fingers together and peering over his hands at the girl, "So, we know each other's stands, and you know why I'm here. But I don't know why you're here."

Pyrrha smiled as she turned and lay on her back once more. "I'm bored with show business. I'm also getting bored with this good girl schtick."

Jaune's eyebrows raised once more as he said, "Schtick?"

"Don't be coy." Pyrrha said with a smirk. "The prim proper girl, who's famous but just wants to be normal. My manager keeps telling me that this hiatus will kill my career, but I couldn't care less. I have more money than I know what to do with."

Jaune then rose and removed a drink from his fridge, taking a sip before gesturing to Pyrrha with his can. "Well, if you want something new, I could always use a partner in my search?"

"Partner?" Pyrrha said with a giggle. "This is your search, I'm content to play the follower after all."

"Hmm, and why would you be happy being my gopher?" Jaune said with a calm gaze, eyeing the red haired girl with new found interest.

The girl sighed as she sat up, staring into Jaune's eyes. "It's simple really. You're one of the first people I've met in a long time who didn't know who I was, and upon finding out didn't care. Add in the fact that our ancestors were once partners, I can't help but be curious about where your search will take you."

Jaune smiled and extended a hand to her, "Well Miss Nikos, I'll be taking your phone number, I'll text you if I find anything on this, Ozpin." Jaune said, as though tasting the word.

Pyrrha nodded and produced a marker from Jaune's desk, writing her number on his wrist, signing with her first name and a small heart. Jaune snorted in response, "Cute."

Pyrrha batted her eyes and in a mock sweet tone replied, "You know just what to say Mister Arc. Call me when you find something."

Jaune nodded and escorted her to the door, waving as he closed it behind her. Jaune walked over to his desk and smiled as he wrote down what Pyrrha had told him, as well as her name, stand name and ability, as he had done with Roman, Ruby and Yang. Jaune smirked as he closed the book and collapsed on his bed, sniffing the air and recognizing the faint scent of perfume. Oh she was good. All of her little power moves, the permanent marker on his wrist, the rolling on his bed, the whisper. She would make an interesting ally.

* * *

Jaune rose from his bed after a peaceful sleep, and delved into his research on Ozpin. Apparently, the man had been involved with the founding of Beacon, and gave a speech here once every year. That was in addition to small campus visits according to the website. He would simply wait for Ozpin to come to him. In the meantime he would have to develop his stand, preferably without Pyrrha.

He then produced his phone and texted Ruby. It wasn't the best option, but it was this or Pyrrha. He briefly waited and sure enough the phone rang, "Hey Jaune, what's up?"

Jaune smiled as he replied, "Hey, do you have any idea when your uncle will be in Vale?"

"In about two weeks." Ruby replied before hastily adding, "Wait why?"

Jaune then grinned as he replied, "I was just hoping I could meet him, maybe ask some questions."

"Okay! Yeah, two weeks. I think he'd be interested in meeting you. Wanna grab lunch later?" Ruby asked, clearly pleases with the turn of events.

Jaune nodded as he replied, "Sure. Sounds great." He then hung up. Things were going swimmingly. In the meantime he would have to do some scouting, Ruby was going to try and recruit him into this whole Torchwick debacle, one way or another. He'd have to find and secure an out.

Jaune then smiled as he grabbed his bag and exited the room, closing the door behind him and dashing down the hall. Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby, Himself, the academy had tons of stand users, and Jaune doubted it was a coincidence. There had to be more in the city. Jaune would pay a visit to the town after classes finished for the day.

* * *

Jaune strolled through the streets of Vale, the sun had set and the street lamps were on. The blonde boy was currently exploring one of the more impoverished areas of the city, looking down the occasional alleyway as he made his way toward the docks where he would practice the use of his stand. He then noticed a disturbance in the alleyway, a figure in a hood was crouched near a door, and soon, a figure appeared next to them, clad in a strange mixture of purple and white, almost like a magician, with a head bearing ears shaped like a cat. Jaune knew as soon as he saw it, a stand. The door swung open, and the handle hit the ground. Jaune strolled down the alley, and gave a polite wave.

"Neat trick." Jaune said as he manifested his stand behind him.

The figure rose and Jaune noticed their clothes. Black sweatpants and sneakers, black hoodie, but pale slender hands. The figure pointed and Jaune moved forward as the enemy stand rushed him, Far Heaven caught the stand and pinned it against the wall. The other stand was lightning fast, but ultimately that hadn't meant much given how little it seemed to know about fighting. Jaune strolled up to the figure and planted his hand against the wall next to their head, noting their flinch.

Jaune grinned as he leaned in and said, "Hey, I was just giving a compliment."

The figures response was a swift knee to the stomach, the figure then pointed to an alarm by the door and said, "Sabatoge!"

Jaune got a clear look at the stand as it tapped the alarm and caused it to sound violently. Tall, lanky, and milk white, with the exception of its black legs and purple vest like pattern, strange white flame designs decorated it's back and the sides of its thighs. The stand boasted golden cat eyes, and simple straight mouth as well as a small nose, the cat ear like shape of its head catching his attention briefly before it sped off after its user. Jaune sighed and walked to the end of the street. He pulled out his phone and called the police saying, "Yeah, I'd like to report a robbery."

Jaune smiled as he did so. Another stand user, and a thief from the looks of it. Now he had information to trade in the event Ruby's uncle wanted something in exchange for his time.

* * *

A gangly dark haired man with crimson eyes walked down a country road with a frown as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. His dress pants were wrinkled, and his dress shoes were scuffed as well. His grey dress shirt's sleeves were rolled up, and the buttons were half undone from the collar down, a silver cross necklace shining in the sunlight. The man scratched at his greying scruff, as he spoke, "Oz. We've got a problem. The queen's after the arrow."

* * *

 **YES! YES! YES! Exposition my boy. So much exposition. So yeah, the stone mask won't be a factor in this story. But as you can see, the arrows will very much come into play. Also, a black clad thief with a cat themed stand? I wonder who it could be? Also, yes the stand's name is Sabatoge. Finally on the subject of Pyrrha. I really don't want to go with the cannon Pyrrha for this, she's too nice and too helpful. I want to have her be someone who will hep with Jaune's ambition, really encourage that sort of behavior. Housekeeping! So thanks to everyone once again, felt considerably better at this late ass hour of the night, so I banged out another chapter. Consider it an apology for posting such a short one earlier today. Now, what to expect from the next chapter? Jaune's gonna do some stand training, and meet some new friends.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Jaune stood at the docks, staring out at the ocean, his stand floating behind him, arms crossed. He had given the police a vague description, from what he could guess, the stand he had seen was called Sabatoge, and it did something to the shops security, breaking the door and then willfully triggering the alarm. Jaune let out a sigh as he stared at the grey waves, before turning back to his improvised training grounds.

Numerous steel barrels were smashed beyond recognition by far heaven, as well as a ruined shipping crate. Far Heaven seemed to have a great deal of destructive power. It's speed wasn't nearly as fast as Ruby's stand, but it made up for it with sheer force. Jaune still couldn't figure out what his stand was capable of. It had to have an ability beyond hitting things really hard.

Jaune then in a fit of frustration spat at the ground and pointed to a large wooden crate, Far Heaven surged forward and smashed the offending object. As he heard the crunch of the wood he scoffed and looked up at the cloudy night sky. His annoyance was interrupted by the sound of a slow clap. Jaune sought out the source of the noise and saw a strange girl sitting atop the shipping container. She wore a strange white, brown and pink themed outfit, with a lacy parasol resting behind her. Her hair was even an odd mix of the three colors. From what Jaune could perceive, her eyes bore the same colors, one white and one brown.

The girl slid off the end and landed, doing a mock curtsy before strolling over to him, closing her parasol and carrying it behind her, popping over and looking up at him. A small smile decorated her lips. Jaune looked down at the girl and raised an eyebrow. "Hey."

She gave a brief wave as she eyed his stand before flashing an OK sign with her hand. She mouthed the words, "House of Glass"

With those unspoken words a Jaune heard the sound of Glass shattering from behind him, and the boy dove past the short girl. He rolled and came back to his feet, Far Heaven appearing behind him. The girl's stand was strange, appearing to be made of fused shards of broken glass, all a strange shade of pink or white. It boasted a short diminutive figure much like it's user, but reminded Jaune of a ballerina, with a strange tutu made of glass, and the stand had glossy white eyes, and pink painted lips. The girl placed her umbrella tip against the ground and posed, her stand going en pointe. Jaune sauntered forward and turned around, crossing his arms across his torso, his left arm grasping at his waist, his left idle yet interested near his face. His head was turned slightly to peer at the girl with one eye, Hist stand mimicked his posture, but stared at the girl, forming a double helix of sorts with Jaune.

Jaune then turned and charged at the girl, his stand following his lead, the girl swiftly ducked and her stand twirled around her and planted a kick on Jaune's torso, the boy was knocked back but quickly recovered. Far Heaven went on the offensive against the stand called House of Glass. The yellow and white crusader threw a volley of punches, all of which the enemy stand seemed to evade. Jaune snarled in frustration as he attempted to rush the girl, only to be surprised as she fished out a small silver tube. Jaune continued his advance, until he saw the girl turn on the tube, revealing it to be a high power flashlight. The light hit her glass stand and the figure then pointed an open hand at Jaune. The boy swore as he dove behind a nearby barrel, hearing the sound of a hot laser firing into the metal protecting him.

Jaune vaulted over the melting barrel and sprinted off to the shipping containers, his stand following him. She had the advantage in speed, as well as range, he'd have to catch her off guard. He could hear the sound of her clicking heels and her umbrella tapping the ground as she strolled after him, the occasional blast of focused light burning shipping containers as he maneuvered through them, after rounding one, he yelled, "Far Heaven!" The stand slammed against the container, knocking it over, unfortunately the girl had rounded the corner, and had pointed the flashlight at the glass ballerina. Jaune grabbed his hair in frustration as he swung around a container. The blast of heat warming his back as the laser connected with another container. Jaune continued this pattern, attempting to get the drop on the girl, but she was just too quick. Finally, he found himself cornered. The girl blew a kiss as she pointed the flashlight at her stand, waving and wiping a faux tear from her eye as the stand's open hands glowed. Jaune stared the girl down, and ran forward. He would beat her. He wasn't going to die cornered by some mystery girl.

Jaune yelled, "Far Heaven!" and his stand manifested, flashing white and sending out what appeared to be a wave of energy. Jaune could hear the sound of a clock ticking slowly as he charged forward, the laser moving a tenth of the speed it had been moving before. Jaune's eyes widened in surprise, then triumph as he sidestepped the beam and moved forward with his stand. The boy cheered, "Checkmate!" as he closed the distance the field receded and the ticking sped up.

The girl's brown and white eyes widened in terror as Jaune landed a vicious right hook, sending her stumbling back, Jaune grinned as his stand zipped around him and began to lay into the girl. Jaune proudly chanted, "Muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda!"

The stand delivered a punch with each utterance of the word, before delivering one final punch, Jaune leaned back and screamed in victory, "WRYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The girl staggered to her feet, her stand clumsily floating towards her, Jaune strolled over made a tsk sound as Far Heaven batted House of Glass away. He leaned down to the girl, lifting her head by the scruff of her jacket, looking into her mismatched eyes. "Stay away from me."

The girl nodded, before rising to her feet, slowly, tottering on her heels as she stumbled away, her stand vanishing. Jaune watched as she left, before looking to his stand. He then began to laugh, almost uncontrollably. He had found his stand's ability. Slowing down time, if only for a few seconds. Jaune reached for his journal and produced his pen. Another battle, another stand user.

* * *

Jaune was tired of his classes already. He was only barely able to tolerate his history class because of the boy he sat next to, one Lie Ren. Boasting strange magenta eyes, long black hair, and a single pink street, Jaune had no idea of what to make of the quiet boy. He soon discovered after one lunch together that he shared Jaune's interest in history. Jaune also found Ren's choice in companionship interesting, a girl named Nora Valkyrie.

The girl was always clad in some shade of pink, and spoke at a mile a minute, but was an absolute savant when it came to mathematics and science. Sure she had the attention span of a goldfish, as she was demonstrating currently as she babbled about bearskin rugs while they ate lunch, but underneath that child like enthusiasm was a special kind of genius. Jaune merely nodded as he ate his sandwich, the girl prattling on about her best friend Ren and how he had appeared in the dream as well. Jaune smiled sympathetically to the well dressed boy, wondering how he hadn't been driven insane yet. "So what do you dream about Jaune?"

Jaune shrugged as he looked over to Nora, her turquoise eyes filled with curiosity. "Wizards and magical arrows."

"Whoa." Nora drawled, spellbound at the thought.

Ren simply picked up his bowl of soup and sipped at the broth, before turning to Jaune. "So, has anything interesting happened in your other classes lately?"

Jaune shook his head in disappointment, "Unfortunately, no Ren. History with you is the highlight of my day as far as classes go."

Nora then pouted and tugged at his arm, "Jauuuune, what about lunch with me?"

"Oh that beats out class easily." Jaune replied with a confident smile, noting how Nora fist pumped in victory. These two were the one anchor of normalcy as far as social interactions went, probably the only thing keeping him grounded in maintaining his status as a student. Pyrrha had been indispensible in the past few days, using her charm to find out more about Ozpin from the faculty, making sure the information made it's way back to him. There was still more than a week before Ruby's uncle came to town, and while classes dragged on forever, Nora and Ren were a pleasant distraction during what little downtime he had.

"So, should we catch a movie tonight?" Nora asked, rocking in her chair as she looked over to Jaune and Ren. Ren nodded in agreement, and Jaune finally shrugged before answering, "Yes. That sounds great Nora."

Jaune may not have been normal anymore, but it was nice to pretend with these two.

* * *

"I don't understand why you bother with those two." Pyrrha said as she flipped through a worn book. She had claimed her usual spot, sprawled across Jaune's bed, while he wrote in his journal at his desk.

Jaune shook his head in mock disappointment, "Pyrrha, Pyrrha. My life is now a tangled web of family secrets and arcane mysteries, Nora and Ren are a nice break from that."

"So you're using them? How cruel." Pyrrha said with a giggle as she continued to read.

Jaune laughed openly as she glanced over to the girl, "Hello pot, my name is kettle. I'd just like to say that you're black."

Pyrrha chuckled at his statement before rising to face the boy, "So you don't deny it then?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself." Jaune answered truthfully as he shut his journal, and turned in his chair. "Just as I'm not sure as to why you wish to tag along on my little search."

Pyrrha smiled as she reached a hand out to Jaune, tracing his jaw with her hand, "I'm curious to see where it leads. After all, the Arcs are cursed to forever lead interesting lives."

Jaune scoffed as he stood, walking over to his fridge. The boy removed two beverages, tossing one to Pyrrha and cracking his own open. He calmly sipped before saying, "Ozpin arrives in a little over a week, the same time Ruby's uncle is arriving."

Pyrrha's eyebrows raised as she sipped at her beverage, making her way to the door, "What a strange coincidence, the uncle from the family of stand users, who taught his nieces how to use their stands is arriving at the same time as the man who fought alongside our ancestors."

Jaune smiled as he affirmed her, "Indeed. We'll have to see what comes of this."

The girl nodded as she gave a wave and exited the room. Jaune smiled as he returned to his desk. Pyrrha was proving indispensable. Jaune was suspicious at first, but Pyrrha had proven to be surprisingly trustworthy. She was a master at keeping appearances up, to the rest of the school, she was Saint Pyrrha, taking pity on the blonde nobody who was struggling in his statistics class. Jaune was tempted to take this alliance beyond business, after all, while they knew much about each other's abilities they knew little about each other as people. Perhaps he would invite her to eat with Ren, Nora, and himself one day.

* * *

 **Stand name: FAR HEAVEN**

 **Power: B**

 **Speed: C**

 **Range: C**

 **Durability: B**

 **Precision:C**

 **Potential: A**

 **Ability: Far Heaven is capable of slowing time down for seven seconds.**

 **Stand user: Jaune Arc**

* * *

 **And there we have it. Chapter 7. Another short chapter, but still quite important. After all, I don't want to litter the story with filler. Now, as for Nora and Ren they are not currently stand users, but neither is Weiss. Before the end of this story, all three will possess a stand. Nora and Ren will be closer to their cannon selves, however since Beacon isn't a huntsman school in this, Nora will be a savant to explain how an obviously unstable girl is allowed at what is essentially an Ivy League school. And Finally, Jaune's updated stand stats. At the time of his entry to Beacon, Jaune's stand was considerably weaker, however it his improved immensely due to his training and the battles he has fought. That A in development is finally coming into play. As for his ability, much like Dio's time stop, Jaune's time slow down duration will increase by one second the more he uses it. Don't expect it to increase for a couple of battles. Many thanks to Echoes 1 and 2 for his suggested stand, House of Glass. I did feel the need to tweak it's appearance and abilities somewhat. Now housekeeping. Many thanks to everyone who keeps favoriting and following, it makes my day to see all of that, and I love reading the reviews. I'm glad people like Jaune as the Dio of Remnant. Feel free to let me know if you all want to see the stand stats for Guns and Roses, or any of the other stands featured thus far. Now, what to expect next chapter, well someone asked for JNPR to get together, so they will! Also, maybe we'll get to see Neo and Roman's employer?**


	8. Chapter 8

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

* * *

Neopolitan limped into the safehouse on the south side of Vale. She knew that the boy had managed to defeat Roman with the help of another stand user, but she hadn't expected him to be anywhere near as strong as he actually was. The ice cream colored girl thought Roman had just been sloppy, but if the kid could move like that then he was a more serious threat than they had initially thought. As the door slammed behind her and she moved towards her living space, she heard Roman's familiar greeting, "Welcome back Neo, did you remember to grab milk while you were out?"

She always wondered why her partner insisted on being such a smartass. As he came into view upon her rounding the corner, she watched his eyes widen as he quickly rose and ran to support her, "Neo!"

The girl gave a weak smile and thumbs up in response, the man's face twisted from worry into a scowl as he asked, "Who did this?"

Neo produced her phone and showed him a picture of the boy in question as he stared out at the sea. Roman's eyes widened, as he asked, "He attacked you?"

Neo shook her head sheepishly, looking off to the side. "You picked a fight and got your ass kicked didn't you?"

She nodded. Roman sighed as he scooped her up and carried her to the couch. "Well, with your stand's ability I have no idea how he beat you."

The mute girl typed a small message out onto her phone's screen. "His stand ability let's him move faster than anything I've seen, I might as well have been in slow motion."

Roman's eyes widened at the message as he set her down, clearly intrigued by her words. "Did you escape?"

Neo shook her head once more. Roman was completely at a loss for the moment. When he had fought the kid he didn't know how to use his stand, and now he had outclassed Neo, even letting her go. "Did he say anything?"

She nodded, before typing out, "Stay away from me."

Roman sighed before looking at the picture of the boy, Roman almost hadn't recognized him at first. He would have to inform her about this, there was a new player.

* * *

Jaune sat at his usual lunch table with Ren and Nora. The two childhood friends were currently engaged in a one sided debate over the sound sloths made. He smiled as they continued their usual routine, Nora's wild excitable behavior being curbed by Ren's deadpan expressions. Jaune had been texting Pyrrha throughout the meal, before finally putting the device down. "Ren, Nora, would you mind if a friend of mine tagged along tonight?"

Ren glanced over to Jaune nodding, "I wouldn't mind."

Nora raised a fist in the air as she cheered, "Yeah! Three's company, four's a party!"

Jaune nodded, as he picked up his phone and texted Pyrrha that she would be spending the evening with Nora, Ren and himself. The girl's reply was one of reluctant compliance, Jaune merely smirked. They had been working hard enough, they needed to unwind.

Nora looked over at him expectantly, eager to hear a response. Jaune laughed and obliged the girl, "She's excited as well. So, what should we do tonight?"

Ren leaned forward and gave an indifferent gesture, a small smile on his face, "I'm up for whatever. Maybe something simple?"

Nora gave an over dramatic groan at the response. "Ren, we have to do something other than simple! It's a party!"

Jaune pursed his lips in thought before offering his suggestion, "If it's a party, then let's make it a party. I can handle music."

Nora raised a hand eagerly, "Decorations!"

Ren snorted as he looked between the two. "I suppose I'll handle refreshments."

Nora immediately hopped up and crossed her arms in an X. "No healthy snacks Ren."

The boy raised his hands in surrender as he gathered his belongings, "No problem, I'll make a run to Wall Market."

Nora quickly retrieved her bag and skipped over to Ren, "I'll tag along, I need to pick up stuff for decorations."

Jaune nodded at the two, packing his journal and textbook into his case. "I'll put together a mix. Can we host this in one of your rooms? Mine's a little cramped."

Nora eagerly nodded as she waited for Ren to finish tidying his portion of the table, "My room. I have the most space, plus I don't mind if it gets messy."

Ren gave Nora an appreciative smile as he waved to Jaune. "See you." Nora mirrored the gesture, "Later~"

Jaune smiled as he waved goodbye. "I'll see you at Nora's room around seven."

* * *

Jaune tapped away at his keyboard, dragging the various songs into place as he attempted to put together a good mixture of music for their little party this evening. Pyrrha had called him after lunch, and clearly wasn't pleased that his first "order" was for her to attend a four man soiree. Jaune had put his foot down, and she had submitted. While this was in part a test to see how far she would go under his orders, it was also a rather serious matter. The two of them were becoming...detached. He hadn't noticed it at first but they had begun speaking about their classmates like they were just props in the plays of their lives.

They were stand users, they had abilities that put them on a completely different level than their classmates, but they were still human. Pyrrha needed this wake up call desperately, considering how much joy tricking people with her saintly persona seemed to bring her. Jaune dragged another song into the queue, matching songs with similar beats and genres to create a good flow. He continued this pattern for some time, occasionally calling upon Far Heaven to change CD's as he worked. The blonde hummed as he ran a hand through his hair, thoroughly absorbed in his work until he saw a notification on his computer screen. He opened the skype call and was greeted with the sight of Jean.

She looked much the same as she always had, same loose ponytail, same white hoodie, same blue shirts, although currently her eyes were widened in surprise. "Bro?"

"Nah, wrong skype address, I'm Jaun Arc, people make the mistake all the time. I keep getting his mail too." Her twin replied with a playful smile, as he shrugged. The girl rolled her eyes at the routine.

Jean seemed to examine him for a moment before commenting, "You look...different."

The boy raised an eyebrow as he asked, "What do you mean?"

She then gestured to his face, "You're wearing your hair back. Plus you just...look older. More..confident."

Jaune cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Really?"

"Yeah." Jean said with a nod as though it was obvious, although her brother seemed to be completely oblivious to this. She shook her head before continuing, "So how's Beacon?"

Jaune gave a drawn out groan, "Well, it beats Mountain Glenn. Most of my classes are pretty boring."

"Any wild parties, gotten a chance to use Giovanna's present?" Jean asked with a sly smile and raised eyebrows.

Jaune buried his face in his hands as he replied, "There are no words that exist for how betrayed I feel right now."

The girl merely laughed in response before glancing around, "Well, too bad my boyfriend isn't here to meet you."

Jaune's hands fell to the table and his gaze became deadly serious. "Who is he and what is his name?"

The girl gave a smirk as she raised an eyebrow at his response. "Jaune, I'm eighteen. I can date whoever I want."

"Jean, you are my twin. My other half. I just want to make sure he's treating you well." Jaune said with a huff as he gave her a pleading look.

Jean merely laughed in response, "Jeez, when did you get so sappy? Relax, there's no boyfriend currently, you're still the only man in my life, as depressing as that sounds. I'm guessing there's no lady in your life."

Jaune was about to give a response when the door opened across the room. Pyrrha strolled into the room, a small frown on her face, "Jaune, I understand that you want me to meet your friends, but-"

The girl then noticed Jaune frantically gesturing for her to go away before hearing a voice from the computer, "Bro, who is that?"

Jaune gave a sigh as he moved aside from the computer and gestured for the red haired girl to approach. Pyrrha stepped forward and saw a girl with strikingly similar features to Jaune before giving her usual warm smile, "Hello! I'm Pyrrha, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Jean. Nice to meet you too." Jean greeted with a smile, before glancing over to her brother and then back Pyrrha with a raised eyebrow. Jaune looked between them as both gave him an expectant look, before offering some explanation. "Jean is my twin Pyrrha. I've told you about her before. Jean, this is Pyrrha Nikos, she's a friend of mine."

Jean's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. "Pyrrha Nikos. The one in From Mistral with Love? The Pyrrha Nikos."

The girl nodded politely, "The same, again, it's nice to meet you, Jaune's told me so much about his family."

"You're friends with The Pyrrha Nikos." His sister said still in disbelief. Jaune merely laughed in response, but was interrupted as Pyrrha simpered, "I thought we were more than just friends Jaune?"

Jaune immediately went stiff, before his eyes cut to Pyrrha. She then brought her face close to his and rested her forehead against his, smiling as Jean hastily interjected, "What!?"

"I understand that you don't want your classmates to know, after all, the press would have a field day if they knew." Pyrrha said as she worked her way to Jaune's neck, nuzzling against him as his eyes widened in shock. His sister was stuttering as she watched the scene unfold as she repeated the single word over and over again.

Pyrrha then gave the girl a soft smile as she plopped into Jaune's lap, "Jaune and I are lovers."

Jaune finally interjected covering the girl's mouth, his face completely red, "No, no we are not! Pyrrha just doesn't know when to stop joking! Bye Jean! We have to go now!"

He quickly shut the call before twisting out from under Pyrrha, backing against the wall as he grabbed the sides of his head, his face still a deep red. Pyrrha tumbled out of the seat and laughed as he grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. "That, was payback for tonight."

Jaune wordlessly showed his displeasure with a single hand gesture, causing Pyrrha to clutch her chest in mock pain, "You're so cruel to me."

"I think it's the other way around." Jaune deadpanned as he pulled his shirt over his head, walking over to his dresser. Pyrrha upon seeing this turned red herself and suddenly found her feet to be of great interest. "You do know she's going to tell my whole family."

Pyrrha nervously laughed as the boy pulled an orange dress shirt on, swiftly buttoning the article of clothing, then reaching for a white blazer and pulling it on as she replied, "Well, I suppose it'll just be future opportunities to see you get worked up."

Jaune merely snorted as he made his way to the door, opening it for the girl, who was clad in her usual brown and red sweater, as well as a pair of jeans and ankle boots. Pyrrha gave a mock curtsy before exiting the room, "Such a gentleman."

"Only when there's a lady such as yourself around." Jaune said with a chuckle as he followed her out of the door. He snapped his fingers and pointed to his computer, his stand surged forward and ejected the disc, tossing it to Jaune. The blonde tucked the case into his pocket before closing his door and locking it, his stand having been recalled.

* * *

Jaune gave the door three swift knocks, and it promptly swung open, to reveal Nora and Ren, both clad in attire similar to Jaune. Nora had opted for a pink sundress, and Ren wore a set of black slacks and a short sleeve green button up, as well as a loose tie. Pyrrha gave a small wave and smile, "Hello!"

Nora's eyes widened as she tackled the girl with a hug, "It's so nice to meet you! Jaune talks about you all the time!"

Pyrrha nervously patted the girl's head as she untangled herself from the orange haired girl. "Really?"

Ren nodded, smirking as he glanced over to the boy in question. "It's either you, or how much he hates his other classmates because they aren't more like you."

Jaune merely scoffed as he walked past the boy, entering Nora's disheveled room, decorated with an odd mixture of pink decor and speakers, and half assembled electronics. The boy sat down at the girl's small coffee table and cracked open a soda from an open cooler. "They exaggerate."

Pyrrha laughed as she followed his lead and took a seat, "Love you too Jaune. So, you must be Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren." Pyrrha greeted with a smile as she looked at the other two.

Nora gave a V for victory sign as she pushed Ren back into her room and slammed the door shut, before giving an exaggerated bow, "Welcome to my castle!"

Ren then rolled his eyes before giving a polite nod, "It's nice to meet you. Pyrrha is it?"

Pyrrha nodded before politely replying, "Yes, Pyrrha Nikos."

Nora looked between Jaune and Pyrrha, her eyes widening as she smiled, "Jaune you're dating a movie star! This is just like that movie we saw Ren, the one where-"

"Sorry, Nora's a little excitable." Ren interjected as Nora continued her rant, pantomiming and zipping around the room.

Pyrrha merely laughed in amusement shaking her head, "It's no trouble at all! Although Jaune and I aren't dating."

Jaune snorted as he took a sip from his drink with a smile, "I hope not, otherwise I've really been slacking off."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes as she bumped her shoulder into his, "Anyway, Jaune has told me much about both of you."

Ren smiled as he retrieved a beverage for himself and sat down, Nora still going strong as she recounted the movie, although apparently now embellishing for dramatic effect. "And then it started raining! And they were both drenched but still kissing and-"

The boy looked back from his childhood friend to Pyrrha before replying, "Only good things I hope."

"Jaune tells me that you're the only person in your history class that has any clue what you're talking about." Pyrrha said with a nod, before adding, "Also, I believe he told me you're pre-law."

Ren nodded as he sipped at his beverage. "And what has he told you about Nora."

Pyrrha watched as the other girl lay on the sofa, one hand draped off the side, the other against her face like a soap opera actress, "Apparently, Nora is a genius, and has a full ride scholarship to Beacon. She's also quite energetic."

Ren nodded before stating, "That's pretty much Nora in a nutshell."

"And then the credits started!" Nora finished dropping down at the table, before looking between Pyrrha and Jaune eagerly. "So how many kids are you having!"

"I'm thinking eight." Jaune deadpanned as he continued to drink.

Pyrrha looked back at the boy with a raised eyebrow, before gesturing to herself, "You think I'm putting this body through eight kids?"

Nora squealed in delight before Ren decided to intervene, "Nora, they're not dating."

"Awwwww." Nora drawled in disappointment before snapping back into her usual perky self, "So how do you know each other?"

Jaune looked over to Pyrrha as he smiled in amusement, "You know Schnee, the ice queen?"

Nora's eyes widened, as her lips snapped shut, sitting cross legged like a child eagerly awaiting a story. Jaune then continued, "Well, she came over one day while Pyrrha and I were eating dinner together, turns out that by pure coincidence, I sat down with a movie star, and I didn't even know it!"

Nora smiled widely as she asked in disbelief, "You didn't know she was famous!?"

Jaune shook his head, as he replied, "Not a clue, I'd never even heard of the movie. So Weiss comes over and asks if she can sit with us, I of course, put the moves on Weiss like I always do."

Ren rolled his eyes, "If she wasn't so short tempered, I might actually feel bad for her."

Jaune nodded in agreement as he continued, "So, she snaps when she figures out I have no idea who Pyrrha is, and I of course, console her and we have a tearful farewell. Pyrrha escorted me back to my room and we've been friends ever since."

Pyrrha nodded along in mock interest, "Truly the events of last week are the stuff of legends."

Ren smiled and said, "I think she'll get along with us just fine."

Nora clapped in excitement, "Excellent story telling Jaune, and excellent rebuttal Pyrrha."

Pyrrha gave a mock tip of the hat to Nora before glancing around at the speakers in the room. "So what's the story behind the speakers Nora?"

Nora gave a wide smile as she got up and zipped around explaining the function of each speaker, before realizing that none of her friends seemed to understand a word of what she said. "It's a surround sound system. I built it in highschool."

The three gave an impressed nod, and Jaune fished the CD he had burned out from his blazer pocket. "Speaking of sound, I've brought the party mix."

Nora gave a cheer as she collected the disc and deposited the cd into her stereo, "Thank you Jaune! I now declare this party, begun!"

The other three gave a small cheer, humoring the girl as she cranked up the volume, and the party began.

* * *

 **Jeez. It's been far too long since I last updated. Good thing I had time to fix it! So yeah, decided to have Jaune speak to his twin, and began JNPR's relationship. The four will still be fast friends in this, but they'll have a slightly different dynamic in the future. Also, apologies for the lateness of this and lack of any obvious plot stuff, but don't worry. Things will be getting pretty interesting in the chapters to come. Now, onto housekeeping. Many thanks to all the reviewers and watchers in the wings, and a small apology to kamen noize, for misplacing my thanks for Neo's stand. As always, the next chapter's hint, reveal, or teaser thing. Next time, expect to see some stuff with Team RWBY! Well, at least with some of them.**


	9. Chapter 9

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

Chapter 9

* * *

Yang Xiao Long walked into the Three Bears Bar, deep in downtown Vale. She had opted for her usual clubbing gear, athletic shorts, short layered skirt, tank top, leather jacket and motorcycle boots. Bass pounded, lights swirled, and people danced atop the glass floor. Drinks changed hands, and people appeared to be lost in the ecstasy of song and dance. Home sweet home.

Yang flipped her hair and shook her hips as she walked, eyeing nearby people before offering a dismissive look. The lilac eyed girl navigated the dance floor before coming to the counter and meeting the sun glass covered gaze of the club's proprietor.

Hei Xiong, known to most as the bar keep, and to stand users like Yang as the premier informant on all spooky and strange goings on in towns. Like Uncle Qrow had always told her, if you wanna know about a city, talk to the guy selling the drinks. Xiong made a noise of distaste before gruffly greeting, "Xiao Long."

"Junior." Yang greeted with a smile, reveling momentarily in the man's brief annoyance at her nickname. "So, heard anything weird going on?"

"The twins finally got real jobs." Junior offered as he polished a glass.

"Not that kind of weird smart ass." Yang said rolling her eyes as she looked around, before grabbing a glass Junior slid towards her.

"Tequila sunrise." Junior explained, noting her approving smile as she downed the glass. "And yeah, there was something with your kind of weird. Some brawl at the docks between a blond kid and some half pint girl. Wasn't sure if it was you or not."

Yang set down the glass and leaned forward. "No, that definitely wasn't me. What else do you know about it?"

"Not sure at the moment, memory's kind of hazy." Junior said with a shrug before offering an expectant look. "Maybe you have something that could jog it?"

Yang glared and her stand began to manifest behind her. "You don't want what you're asking for."

"Look Xiao Long, I can't keep tossing you info for free." Junior began before being cut off by his bar exploding. He stumbled back, ears ringing from the sound of wood crunching and flames roaring behind Yang as she walked towards him.

* * *

"Well, that spells problems for us." Pyrrha intoned dramatically as she lounged on the chair near Jaune's desk. The room had become more disorganized since the day of the party. The bedsheets were a complete mess almost every day, and Jaune's desk had become a collection of newspapers and old books. Were it not for Pyrrha and Far Heaven's efforts, the room would undoubtedly be in far worse condition.

Her partner merely rolled his gaze towards her and asked, "Problems?"

"A fight broke out at a club downtown, supposedly a Beacon student started it, and the damage was considerable." Pyrrha's explained leaning forward on her elbows.

"Let me guess, large scale damage inflicted mysteriously?" Jaune asked, only to receive a sad nod. "Damn. First the docks, now this."

Pyrhha stood up and strolled over to the bed, plopping down next to him, "Have you given more thought to my proposal?"

"Absolutely not." Jaune replied without hesitation, rising from his seat.

"But Jaune, if the theories are right," Pyrrha began only to be cut off.

"Pyrrha. We're sticking to the plan. Find the Wizard, then worry about the arrow since the mask is out of the picture." Jaune countered firmly. "My great grandfather's theories about stands are just theories. We don't have any proof that the arrow can grant stands, and even if it can, we can't just start recruiting an army of stand users."

Pyrrha's hands slowly rose in surrender. "You're the boss here. So, I take it an alliance with Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long is off the table."

Jaune nodded in reply as he walked over to his desk and skimmed the article. "If the damage from the fight was mostly fire, then I'd bet my life that she was the one who tore up the bar. Plus there's still that girl with the cat stand running around the city, and Torchwick. Right now, the best thing we can do is lay low."

"And what if a repeat of the docks happens again?" Pyrrha's eyebrow rose as she asked.

"It won't." Jaune answered simply. "I found a new place to practice, and I expect you to start going with me."

Pyrhha gave a playful smile as she stood up and walked over to Jaune, before draping her arms over his shoulders. "It's a date Mr. Arc."

Jaune merely rolled his eyes before returning to examining the article. "Don't forget, we have dinner with Nora and Ren this evening, and that surprise they have planned."

Pyrrha's smile turned to a frown as she turned away from Jaune and headed to the door. "Did Ren plan this, or did Nora?"

"Both of them did." Jaune answered as he picked up the paper.

Pyrrha sighed as she opened the door and replied, "Well, at least it will have some semblance of normalcy."

"Bye." Jaune replied dryly as she closed the door behind her. Pyrrha could be frustrating, but she followed orders, at least the two he had given thus far. The actress quickly left his thoughts as he read more and more of the article. The bar had to have been Yang's handiwork, and given the scale of the damage, and the location it was insane to think that she wasn't named or identified.

The mere fact that she wasn't named meant she had connections, and given how sure Ruby seemed that her uncle could tell him about the Wizard, the two of them were steadily gaining more potential as threats than allies. Not to mention the carelessness of something like this. Stands weren't exactly common knowledge, but for some reason these two didn't seem interested in keeping it quiet.

Jaune retrieved his great grandfather's journal and tucked it into his satchel, alongside his own journal. Dinner with Ren and Nora tonight, and a meeting with Ruby's uncle tomorrow, things were starting to get congested. Still, worst case scenario her uncle had nothing useful to say and he was still in square one on his search. As much help as the two sisters might be, Jaune couldn't risk the secrets of his family to them. Not to mention his latest discovery.

"Far Heaven." Jaune said calmly and watched as his stand appeared. The yellow and white knight floated around him, and Jaune let out a sigh as he retrieved his latest text from his research. "Looks like I might have named you a bit too soon pal."

* * *

Blake Belladonna had learned a lot on the streets. Steal only what you can't afford, look as forgettable as possible, and always, always watch your back. However, none of that could have prepared her for the streets of Vale. Back in Menagerie, she had never even seen another stand user, but lately she couldn't go a week without one of them causing some sort of commotion. First the convenience store robbery by Torchwick, her break in being interrupted, the fight on the docks, and now the bar. Blake was beginning to wonder if coming to the city was a good idea after all. Then again, one look at her phone and all the missed calls from Adam was all it took to remind her of why she left.

Blake adjusted her black hoodie and listened to the sound of her heeled ankle boots clacking against the concrete as she walked through the bustling streets of downtown. Her black stockings bore numerous rips, and her white short-shorts still had a price tag on them, but nobody seemed to notice. The girl let out a sigh as she weaved through the crowd and cut through alleyways, before pulling out her phone and tapping at the screen. Within seconds the gps app was up and the yellow blinking dot appeared on the map.

Blake looked down the damp trash filled alley and stretched before eyeing a ladder leading to a fire escape. She shook her head and ran forward, springing up onto a closed dumpster and briefly running up the wall before kicking off and snagging the ladder with one arm. Blake deftly swung forward and then back before gripping the rung with her other hand and pulling herself up, one rung at a time before climbing onto the landing. Once on the fire escape she allowed herself a brief moment of celebration and rest before ascending the stairs swiftly to the roof. Blake strolled to the edge of the rooftop before checking the GPS once again, confirming that the yellow dot was nearby. Satisfied by the distance, she then proceeded to leap from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally rolling as she changed elevations, utilizing the odd ventilation unit to ascend once again before coming to a stop at a nearby ledge.

The dark haired girl sat down and gazed across the street at The Simple Wok, a small noodle restaurant, before frowning and narrowing her gaze at a blonde boy clad in a hoodie. Blake produced her phone and confirmed the dot matched the boy as she stared. He appeared to be with three other people. She pulled up her notes app and recorded this, usually she saw him alone. He had cornered her and her stand, and reported her robbery to the police. But he hadn't said anything about the stands themselves, only mentioning her. Plus there was his whole manner of addressing her when they had met. Still, he wasn't as clever as he acted, Blake was fairly certain he had no idea she was watching him. The girl sighed as she crossed her legs and rested her chin in her palm. No point in challenging him or approaching him yet. For now, she would watch. After all, he'd trashed the docks, it was only a matter of time before he'd show what he was really after.

* * *

 **So there it is. I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry but I had some major** **doubts about where to take this story after a little reflection. Luckily those doubts have been quelled and I've settled on a course of action that better suits this than my original plan. Expect more soon, and a longer chapter next time. As for the content this time around, Blake is watching Jaune, and Jaune is watching the news, and it seems like every stand user in the city is waiting for the other shoe to drop. I suppose the question is, when will it?**


	10. Chapter 10

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

Chapter 10

* * *

Jaune Arc leaned back in his seat at the diner and let out a long drawn out yawn. Ren and Nora's surprise had entailed a disturbing amount of running, then again he had never pegged Ren for being particularly skilled at paintball. More shocking though was how easily Ren and Nora had outclassed both Pyrrha and himself. Jaune could feel the full ache of the bruises on his legs and back as he sipped at his coffee.

The diner itself was plain, if a bit dirty and empty. Most of the booths looked like the dirt and stains were merely rearranged after each customer passed, and a man with a face as old as time sat drinking at the bar. The same waitress moved from table to table hastily running a wet rag over the surface before returning and asking if he wanted anything. Jaune had yet to hear anything from the cook but the odd swear.

Why Ruby's uncle had insisted on this location was a mystery, but Jaune had a feeling it was due to the fact that almost no one was here. Still, as time passed and he glanced at his phone with an increasing annoyance, Jaune couldn't help but wonder if the man was even going to show up. The blonde young man produced his journal and began to pour over the notes contained within. First reviewing the stands he had encountered, Guns and Roses, Bang Bang, Desperado, Silver Lining, House of Glass, and Sabatoge. Jaune was beginning to get annoyed, he had been in Vale for less than a semester and already he had encountered five stand users and was about to meet his sixth. Jaune quickly charted out a web of relations, noting the connections between Ruby and her family as well as his own partnership with Pyrrha. It was too soon to connect the other three, however it was unlikely that they were ignorant to the existence of Ruby, Yang or their Uncle if Yang's behavior at the club was anything to go off of.

Jaune's concern was growing by the minute, there were just too many stand users present for this to be a coincidence. Ruby's eagerness to go after Torchwick, and the certainty she had that her uncle could locate the information he wanted as well as help in dealing with other stand users, as though she knew Torchwick wasn't the only one. He had gotten involved in something big, and while he was trying to stay out of it, Jaune knew that fight at the docks was only the beginning. Luckily, if his latest tome was anything to go off of, he had an ace in the hole. Jaune quickly produced the text and returned to the chapter he had marked.

Jaune had first written the text off as nonsense, before realizing just what the text had contained. It spoke of a man, who followed the will of god above all else and was blessed with, HEAVEN. Jaune's initial shock had become a sort of strange sort of fascination as he found parallels between the man in the story and himself. Supposedly, the man commanded the world itself, and time stopped at his behest. While Jaune didn't control the world, His stand allowed him to bend time to his will, and Jaune couldn't help but shake the feeling that this text contained his destiny, that somehow, HEAVEN was more than just a place you went when you died.

"Hey kid, is this seat taken?" A gruff voice asked dryly, their words subtly slurring.

Jaune jumped a little in his seat as he looked up to see a strange man standing before him. He wore a set of slacks and black dress shoes, as well as a grey dress shirt shirt boasting a black collar and matching cuffs. The sleeves were pushed up to reveal slender arms, the right bore a black leather band, and his fingers had two silver rings in the shape of crosses. A similarly shaped silver cross necklace hung from his neck. The man's face bore a fair bit of stubble, and his eyes were a startling garnet, with black greying hair slicked back. He smiled before sitting down across from Jaune and lazily extending a hand. "Qrow Branwen."

"Jaune Arc." Jaune replied as he sat up and shook Qrow's hand, noting his surprising grip strength.

Qrow produced a flask and took a swig from it as the waitress approached, quickly cutting her off before she could speak. "Coffee, black."

Jaune leaned forward and nodded to the man as the waitress left to fetch a pot of the glorious dark liquid and a mug. "Are you Ruby's uncle?"

"Yep." Qrow replied popping the p at the end of the word. He wore an easy going smile, but Jaune couldn't shake a lingering feeling of unease. "I understand you're looking for someone."

Jaune nodded quickly and produced his grandfather's journal. "I'm looking for a man called the Wizard."

Qrow glanced around as he shrugged. "I might be able to help, but why are you looking for this guy?"

Jaune's face scrunched up in reflexive annoyance. This guy may have been a stand user, but Jaune couldn't help but feel the same way he had when Yang had asked about Jaune helping them. There was something in his tone, like he was testing him. "Personal reasons."

Qrow let out a snort as the waitress returned and poured him a mug of coffee. The lanky man quickly produced his flask and emptied the contents into the mug before taking a sip. "Jeez, Yang wasn't kidding when she said you were prickly."

"Seems like every stand user in town either wants me to help them, or fight me." Jaune countered glancing around the diner. "You asked to meet me in the middle of night in a dive at the far side of town, doesn't exactly scream friendly meet and greet."

"Well, at least you're picking up on this stuff faster than Ruby." Qrow drawled as he took another sip of coffee.

"Look, I have information that might help you guys with your little stand user turf war, and you have information I want." Jaune offered as he opened his journal. "I tell you what you want to know, and you tell me what I want to know, sound fair?"

Qrow's eyebrows were raised as he queried, "Turf war?"

Jaune smirked as he closed the journal. "First night in town and Ruby fights a guy sticking up a convenience store with his stand. I get caught up with it and the next thing I know she and Yang are asking if I want to help fight Torchwick. Both of us know the club was her. Unless the definition of turf war has changed, I'm pretty sure that's what's going on here."

"Well, you don't lack confidence kid." Qrow replied before his eyes narrowed. "But you really have no idea what's going on right now."

"Then all the more reason for me to stay out of it. Now do you want to trade info, or should I catch a cab back to campus?" Jaune shot back cooly.

The two remained silent, staring at one another as if testing each other. Finally Qrow let out a sigh, and asked, "What do you have to offer?"

"I've got info on two stand users in town that might be linked to Torchwick." Jaune answered calmly, opening his journal to the pages for Sabotage and House of Glass. "One's some kind of burglar, the other is some short girl, pink and brown hair, weird clothes, doesn't talk."

Qrow nodded as he read through the pages and produced his phone, "Do ya mind?"

Jaune quickly nodded and Qrow snapped two pictures of the pages. "Well, the wizard, is a man named Ozpin. He's the one who clued me in on stand users a couple decades back."

Qrow looked up to see that Jaune had hastily grabbed his journal and begun writing in it. He chuckled to himself in amusement before continuing, "He's been in Mistral the past couple years, but he always comes to Beacon before winter break to give a guest lecture."

Jaune quickly opened his mouth but before he could ask his question Qrow answered it, "I don't know when he's going to give the lecture, but it should be soon."

"Then that's it." Jaune replied as he stood up from the table placing a twenty lien bill under his mug.

Qrow watched with a raised eyebrow as the boy pulled his hood on and exited the diner. The man calmly produced his phone and typed out a text before turning his focus back to his drink as he sent it.

 _Oz, Spoke with Joseph Arc's great grandson. He's looking for you._

Qrow sipped at his drink before letting out a contented sigh and grinning. It was the kid's move, and he was curious to see how he'd play it. After all, he was nothing like the Joseph Arc in Oz's stories. Way too sharp. Stil, if the curse held true, then things were about to get very exciting.

* * *

Neopolitan was beginning to get annoyed. Roman had told her to not to try and pick a fight with the boy until the Queen returned. Her heterochromatic eyes rolled in exasperation at the mere thought of their employer's nickname. Still, Neo had insisted on watching him. He clearly wasn't experienced, but that hadn't stopped him from wiping the floor with her. His stand's ability had completely canceled out her advantage in reach, flexibility and speed. If Roman was right and he was working with little red riding hood's uncle, then they would need to take care of him as soon as they could.

The pint sized ice cream colored girl blew a raspberry as she sauntered along the edge of the rooftop observing her quarry. Unless her eyes had deceived her, then his relationship with that dusty old scarecrow was strained at best. The two seemed to spend more time arguing than conversing, and as soon as he heard what he wanted, the boy seemed to quickly leave. If Neo had to guess, she'd say they were fairweather friends. But she couldn't discount the possibility of an alliance yet, and with an ability like his, the boy was a fairly big threat. Neo sighed as she reported her observations to Roman. The kid would make a hell of an ally, but something told her that he wasn't the type to bow to just anyone. And the queen bee wasn't exactly famous for being patient with difficult people.

* * *

 **And now Neo's watching him. Looks like it's all eyes on Jaune at the moment. Not a terribly long chapter again, but an important one nonetheless. So yes, in a twist that I'm sure was oh so surprising, Ozpin is in fact the wizard. However, his role in this story will be far different than his role on the show, namely in how much of a direct influence he will have on the events that unfold. Onto the teaser then I suppose. Next time, expect for some serious questions to be answered.**


	11. Chapter 11

Jaune Arc's Bizarre Adventure

Highway to Heaven

Chapter 11

* * *

Jaune strode down the streets of downtown Vale quickly, and after passing a few blocks from the diner, threw his hood back. The plodding of his converses filled his ears as he hastily zipped up the white leather jacket his sister had given him. His mouth twisted into a scowl as he cursed under his breath repeatedly. While Jaune had gotten what he came for, it hadn't been what he wanted to hear. Ozpin knew about stands, and that one piece of information complicated everything. Qrow had learned what he knew from Ozpin, and the two happened to be in town at the time that stand users were robbing the city. While Jaune would love to believe that this was just a coincidence, the odds of that were slim to none. Qrow's little claim that he had no idea when Ozpin would be giving a lecture had to be complete bullshit. Ruby was so sure he'd be able to help Jaune, odds are she knew that Qrow knew someone who sounded a lot like the wizard he was looking. The mere fact that Qrow would keep that a secret set off all kinds of alarm bells in Jaune's head. He drew a sharp breath and exhaled as he attempted to calm his thoughts but to no avail.

Things were fucked. Stand users and people who knew about them were gathering, and with the bar fight Jaune was practically waiting for the other shoe to drop. He hadn't seen hide or hair of mute girl or Torchwick in the news. The absence worried him more than anything else. It was like the city was holding its breath, and it was about to let something out. There was never a perfect solution to any problem, Jaune had learned that from his family at an early age, however for the first time in his life things seemed completely fucked. No matter how he examined the situation, he couldn't see anyway to maintain his neutral status in the city without gathering any allies. As much as he hated it, Pyrrha was right. They needed friends.

However, he'd die before he agreed to her plan. An alliance with Ruby and Yang meant an alliance with Qrow, and an alliance with Ozpin. The way Qrow was talking, there was something big going on, and he wanted to stay out of it at any cost. The complete lack of information on the arrow meant the plan started with a wild goose chase. Jaune was more than willing to bet that he had burned any bridges with Torchwick, and if there was something keeping him in line, and the girl with a stand that could shoot lasers, Jaune was staying as far from that as he could. That meant his only option was to recruit stand users that weren't allied with either side. The burglar presented an interesting opportunity.

While Jaune had no proof they were independent, their style was too different from anyone in town. Ruby and Yang had no problem whipping their stands out the instant they saw another stand user. Torchwick and Mute attacked first on the two occasions he had met them. The burglar had been silently entering the building, and only used the alarm as a diversion to escape. He hadn't made a good impression, but he had also never actually attacked or used his stand around the other person. Something told Jaune that if they were willing to run rather than fight when cornered, they were in the same boat as he was. The question was, how to get into contact with them?

The blonde quickly produced his phone and began researching break ins as he walked. There had been a couple in the same area he had found the would-be thief, but nothing on Torchwick or the mute. It wasn't much of a lead, but it was all he had. Jaune would simply have to make do, after all with the way his life was going lately it was only a matter of time before he ran into them again.

* * *

Blake Belladonna crouched at the ledge of the apartment complex, staring down at the blonde boy as he pulled his hood on and quickly turned around. The raven-haired girl watched with curiosity as he began to head back into the city, rather than walking in the direction of Beacon off in the distance. She had theorized that he was a student, judging by the way he entered and left downtown, although this was a marked shift in his behavior.

Normally he went into town and left. Today he went in, met with a strange man, and now seemed to have made a sudden choice to return downtown in the dead of night. Blake had also spotted a strange girl observing him on a rooftop across from the diner. That had given her some pause. She had assumed that she was the only one watching him, although that had been thoroughly disproven as she observed the pink, brown and white clad girl disappear into the night after he departed from the diner. Blake hadn't thought about him much beyond his apparent threat to her safety, however he warranted the attention of others in the city. It seemed she had picked the perfect night to observe him.

She followed along from the rooftops as best as she could, but was forced to take to the streets as he began to turn more and more, moving deeper into the city. Blake crept through the night as silently as she could, watching with great interest as he seemingly followed directions from his phone. Before long, she came to recognize the area they were in. The part of the city she had been stealing from in the past few weeks. She cursed under her breath. The odds of him choosing to come here after speaking to that man in the diner on a whim were slim to none. He was after something. Blake observed him moving through the alleyways where she had performed her break ins. His fingers ghosted across the doors, and he shined the light from his phone on the alarms she had left short circuited and broken.

Blake watched with some curiosity as he produced a journal and scribbled in it. From what little she had seen in the diner he was some kind of informant. But the man he met with wasn't law enforcement. If he was, he wasn't local or big on procedure judging by the flask he had in his back pocket. The raven-haired girl watched as the boy tapped his foot impatiently snapping his journal shut. He was pinching his nose.

Blake had to admit, part of her was a little stunned by how little he did to conceal his identity. He never seemed to walk with his hood up for too long. His hair was always pushed back, and his posture was impeccable. The blonde boy walked with his shoulders back and his head held high, piercing blue eyes always carefully examining his surroundings. There was something about his bearing, he was powerful, almost regal. Blake had seen the company he kept, and even around Pyrrha Nikos the boy seemed to look at the girl as though she were beneath him at times. It was odd. Blake's eyes widened as he did the unthinkable though. She watched him speak, and saw his stand appear. A white knight, clad in what appeared to be a white tabard and a great helm, the body decorated in rings save for two crescent moons. A wing sprouted from each angle, and the stand floated around the boy as he seemed to point to various things.

Blake's eyes tracked the stand as she watched from around the corner, her gaze fixing on the strange figure. It didn't seem to be able to go far from the boy, and it didn't move nearly as quickly as Sabotage did. For a moment though, everything in the world seemed to slow down, and the boy moved in front of her with incredible speed. Her eyes widened as things began to return to normal speed. She opened her mouth to call for her stand but found that her mouth was covered by his hand, and her arm was pinned off to one side.

She expected a cruel smile, perhaps a taunt or a threat. Blake hadn't expected him to regard her so calmly. His grip was firm though. He stood there pinning her. While she shifted slightly, attempting to test his stance and grip, she could feel him move with her. Finally, he spoke.

"Now, if I remove my hand from your mouth, are you going to call your stand?" He asked, leaning next to her.

Blake silently fumed as she stared into his eyes. His gaze, it was harsh and unrelenting. Blue eyes staring at her, testing her. He wanted her to reply, to submit. He wanted to see if she would comply, or resist, then if she did whether she would turn on him. She couldn't call her stand and fight, not without any idea of how that stand of his fought, or how that quick burst of speed worked. Blake let her head hang for a moment before giving a shake of her head. He released her quickly, shoving his hands into his pocket and running his eyes over her.

The ebony haired girl's eyes locked onto is, her mouth set into a firm line. "Well, what do you want?"

"World peace and personal satisfaction." He replied calmly, before narrowing his gaze at her. "Not necessarily in that order."

Blake scoffed at his words, moving to leave, before feeling his hand on her shoulder. "But your name would be a good place to start."

"Blake." She replied with some hesitation, seeing his stand move in front of her. Blake slowly turned around to face him again. She was trapped, but for some reason he didn't seem intent on attacking.

"Jaune. Jaune Arc." Jaune greeted, extending a hand to her. His face shifted into a small smirk. "I don't think I got a chance to properly introduce myself the last time we met."

"How did you spot me?" Blake asked, crossing her arms and scowling.

Jaune retracted his hand and nodded to his stand. "Far Heaven spotted you. I just followed his gaze."

Blake's eyebrow twitched in irritation. She hadn't thought to watch his stand's face. Sabotage never reacted to anything, he always just followed her commands stone faced. Blake looked away and then flung her arms out in annoyance. "So, you did this just to introduce yourself?"

"Not exactly," He replied quickly. Jaune stepped towards her and eyed her once again. "I wanted to ask whose side you're on."

"Mine." Blake replied easily, looking away from Jaune's gaze. Out of the corner of her eye she could spot him nodding approvingly.

Jaune walked over to her and stared into her eyes. Blake wanted to be annoyed, but there was something about his gaze. For the first time, she saw something he hadn't displayed in the time she had observed him, respect. "I'm in a similar boat. However, things are escalating in the city, and I don't want to get dragged into someone else's fight."

Blake kept her expression neutral. She'd been having similar doubts, but she had been confident she could remain to herself. However, just like that night when he interrupted her robbery, something told her that he was here to ruin that. "So, you want me to side with you so you can stay neutral?"

Jaune smiled at her tone. Calm, sarcastic, witty, and completely lacking the condescension that Pyrrha would have no doubt added. "Something like that. I know it sounds stupid. But something tells me that we won't have the luxury of staying neutral for long. I don't want to work with Torchwick, and I don't want to side with the girl who trashed the club."

"Then why not leave?" Blake asked, staring into Jaune's eyes. Her head was cocked to the side in confusion at his smile.

"I shouldn't have to throw my life away because it doesn't line up with what other people want." Jaune replied calmly, his expression stern. Blake's mouth opened slightly as she stepped back slightly.

"Wouldn't it be easier to run?" Blake quickly questioned, her voice almost hopeful.

Jaune nodded. Before removing his hands from his pockets and folding them behind his back, "Yes, but I am equal to the challenge. My goal is simple, and if I find what I'm looking for, then no one will ever be able to twist me to suit their needs. Side with me, and I'll give you something no one else in this city can offer you. A future."

Time stood still for Blake, and Adam's face flashed in her mind. Her time stealing to survive in the city had been trying. Every day she got by on the skin of her teeth, and she knew that this was what the future held for her. She would spend her days stealing until she got caught, or back in Adam's grasp, but she would never have anything else. Blake honestly wasn't sure what Torchwick was after. But Jaune, he was offering the future she no longer had. In those sapphire blue eyes filled with pride, she saw a man who would bow to no one. In those eyes, she saw the promise of her own freedom. "Yes. I'll side with you."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Jaune asked with a small smile, placing his hands in his pockets once more. Blake quickly shook her head. "Then come with me."

Blake's eyes widened as he walked off, his stand vanishing. "Wait, I'm just going to live with you?"

"I have a single dorm. And if we're going to be allies, I can't let you freeze on the streets. Our enemies have homes, and the means to rob and evade capture by the police." Jaune explained as he walked, Blake quickening her pace to keep up with him. "Unless you'd prefer the streets,"

Blake merely shook her head and followed him. Something told her, this was going to be an interesting transition.

* * *

 **And so I return, after some time away. Now, things are starting to heat up. We have the third member of Jaune's little group. If Pyrrha is intended to be his Pucci, at least in regard to being his closest advisor, Blake serves a different role. Time will tell what that role is. Next time, Ozpin will finally come into the picture. This chapter was sort of the first step for Jaune actually chosing a course of action other than just find out about his family. So, from here on, expect to see Jaune start to really become the Dio he should be. Thanks for all of your reviews and follows and interest, even in my absence. Best wishes for all of you. As always feel free to review, follow and favorite at your leisure.**


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